Another Delay in Case of Man Charged With Killing Two Ankeny Children

Yet another delay was the result of a court hearing Friday in the case of Kevin Dalasta, who is accused of causing a 2010 car crash that injured an Ankeny mother and killed two of her children.

The Des Moines Register reports that a Polk County District Court judge was to rule Friday on whether charges against Dalasta should be dismissed. But a dispute over choosing a prosecution-paid expert to examine Dalasta prevented the decision.

Police say Dalasta, 48, was leaving a 10-hour shift at Tones Spices in Ankeny on May 6, 2010, when he drove through a stop sign at Southeast Tones Drive and Southeast Creekview Drive, according to the Register. Dalasta’s truck struck a van driven by Heather DeJoode, then 35.

The crash killed Carson DeJoode, 5, and Claire DeJoode, 5 months, while seriously injuring their mother. Chase DeJoode, then 3, suffered minor injuries to his ankle and neck, the paper said.

The court case against Dalasta has been delayed several times as he has undergone and recovered from a series of brain surgeries.

Assistant Polk County Attorney Steve Foritano said Friday authorities want Dalasta to be evaluated by experts at On With Life, an Ankeny facility that specializes in treating head injuries, the Register reports. Dalasta’s father initially objected to that, because it’s the same facility where Heather DeJoode was treated – and where her husband still serves on the board.

An agreement reached Friday will allow for the evaluation but bans On With Life from telling the DeJoodes anything about Dalasta’s status.

The Des Moines Register reports Dalasta has been evaluated several times by mental health experts as authorities decide whether to drop the charges against him due to an allegedly permanent brain impairment, or determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial.

Two experts have said Dalasta is mentally incompetent to stand trial and unlikely to improve, but prosecutors are entitled to an independent review of Dalasta.

KCCI.com reported previously that Dalasta's father, Dan Dalasta, told the court he has been his son's full-time caretaker since a May surgery which left his son's movement hindered, slowed his word comprehension and diminished his ability to speak.

Heather and Troy DeJoode, the parents of the children killed in the car accident told KCCI-TV in April that they found comfort from knowing the children's donated organs saved others.