COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A Council Bluffs woman has been given 20 years in prison for aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of her daughter. The Daily Nonpareil reports that 37-year old Catherine Provancha also had pleaded guilty to lascivious acts. Prosecutors modified one of the charges and dropped two other counts in exchange for her pleas.  The woman’s former boyfriend has been charged with several felony sex abuse counts.

Police say Provancha told investigators that she saw the boyfriend sexually abuse her daughter over several years, starting when the girl was younger than 10. The woman told police she witnessed the abuse as many as seven times and never reported it or protected her daughter.