A Hesperia man and woman are awaiting sentencing after pleading “no contest” last week to charges of attempted murder, poisoning and child cruelty for crimes against an 8-year-old boy, records show.
Denise Leann Althoff, 27, and Elias Heinrich Dickson, 38, entered their pleas Monday, May 4, as the trial reached its fifth day, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records. They also admitted to special allegations of inflicting great bodily injury to a child, as well as mingling harmful substances with food or drink resulting in injury.
Under a plea deal, four counts of torture and one count of false imprisonment were dismissed.
Both were initially arrested during the early-morning hours on Nov. 7.
The investigation began the day before, when deputies were notified that an 8-year-old boy had been brought to a local hospital “with extensive injuries,” San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials said at the time in a written statement.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division – Crimes Against Children Detail took charge of the investigation, ultimately arresting Althoff and Dickson.
They were both scheduled to be sentenced on July 31 at the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Hesperia man and woman convicted in child abuse, poisoning case
Reporting by Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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