Mother tells sex abuser he ‘took advantage of innocence,’ broke trust, stole her child’s safety

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CEDAR RAPIDS — The mother of a child who was sexually abused last year, said Tuesday “there is no pain greater” for a parent than knowing their child was hurt, especially by someone they trusted and treated as family.

“You took advantage of innocence,” she said in her victim statement at Delbert Dean Grimm’s sentencing. “You stole a part of my child’s safety, peace and sense of self. What you did didn’t just happen in a moment — it continues every single day in the form of fear, anxiety and confusion.”

The mother said her child now struggles with nightmares and days “filled with silence and questions that don’t have answers.” She was speaking on behalf of her child and the another in this cas