WHITE CLOUD, Michigan – A man held responsible for the death of his 5-year-old grandson pleaded no contest to violating Michigan’s new gun storage law, one of the first significant convictions since the law took effect earlier this year.
Karl Robart faces a minimum prison sentence of between 19 months and three years, according to an agreement released Monday in Newaygo County Circuit Court. He will return to court in western Michigan on October 7.
Braxton Dykstra was shot and killed on April 1 when a 6-year-old cousin gained access to a loaded and unlocked shotgun at Robart’s Garfield Township home, investigators said.
In Michigan, someone who pleads no contest does not admit to committing a crime. But it is treated as a conviction for sentencing purposes.
Robart said very little in court. A message seeking comment from his attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday. A similar case against Robart’s wife is still pending.
Michigan new gun storage law came into force in February. Firearms must be locked when children are present. The consequences of a breach depend on the details of each incident and whether anyone was injured or killed.
Braxton’s father, Domynic Dykstra, said the length of his father-in-law’s prison sentence will be very short.
“They ruined my life. … You know, my son’s life was worth so much more than that, and they’re the reason he’s gone today,” Dykstra told WZZM-TV.
At least 21 states have criminal laws related to not keeping a gun out of the reach of children, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
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