CENTERVILLE — A judge decided Monday to lower the bond of a Centerville man facing charges following the death of a child earlier this year.
Judge Greg Milani ruled Monday that the bail for Roger Gillespie will be lowered from $1 million cash only to $250,000 cash only. If Gillespie posts the bond, he would be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor, report to the Department of Corrections weekly, and not travel outside of Appanoose County, among other conditions.
Gillespie's attorneys had argued for release on a promise to appear, or other unsecured bond because of his lack of financial resources to post bail. Prosecutors resisted the effort.
Police began investigating after they were called to Gillespie's home on Drake Avenue in Centerville on Jan. 19.
Authorities responded to the report of an unresponsive child in the home. Gillespie was the caretaker for the child, who was two years old at the time. Gillespie told police he had given the child a bath and had left her unattended. He told police he heard a loud noise and returned to the bathroom to find the child unresponsive.
The child was taken to MercyOne Centerville Medical Center and transported to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City. Doctors said the child had suffered a skull fracture, multiple multi-layer retinal hemorrhages and petechiae. Physicians told police the injuries would have been the result of non-accidental trauma.
The child died on Jan. 27, and Gillespie was arrested on a warrant and charged the same day.
