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Omaha man sentenced in beating of an elderly Bluffs woman

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May 14th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A Nebraska man appearing in court to learn his sentence upon being convicted of beating an elderly Council Bluffs woman, cried and professed his remorse, Tuesday. According to the Daily NonPareil, the judge sentenced 21-year old Dustin M. Brown, of Omaha, to 25-years in prison on a charge of first-degree robbery, in connection with the January 2014 incident.

The sentence was part of a plea agreement Brown’s attorney made, in connection with the beating of 59-year old Carmen Morales. Brown entered Morales’ home, beat her with a tire iron and threatened her life while taking electronics and a safe from her home. He threatened to kill Morales if she didn’t lead him to the safe.

Unknown to Brown, Morales’ daughter had placed a hidden camera inside the home, which captured much of the incident on video. The state originally charged Brown with first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery, but in exchange for a guilty plea to the robbery charge, a Class B felony, prosecutors dismissed the other three counts.

The robbery conviction carries a 25-year prison term, with Brown required to serve at least 70 percent of the sentence, meaning he’ll be incarcerated for at least 17½ years. In court Tuesday, Brown’s attorney, Jennifer Solberg, said the suspect was high on methamphetamine at the time of the crime and has no recollection of the incident.