Delay Sought in Trial of Man Charged in Deaths of 2 Ankeny Kids in Car Accident

The man charged in the 2010 deaths of two Ankeny children from a car crash near their day-care center is asking that his trial be delayed, reports KCCI.com.

Police say Kevin 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 Des Moines 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, 3, suffered minor injuries to his ankle and neck, the Register said.

Dalasta's attorney, Alfred Parrish, is requesting Nov. 13, 2012, as a new trial date, the TV station says. If approved, this would be the fifth time the trial has been delayed. 

Court records show Dalasta was discharged from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics on March 14, 2012, following brain surgery to prevent seizures.

In the motion Parrish said Dalasta continues to have seizures and can't remember having them, according to KCCI.com. Parrish said he just recently received Dalasta's complete medical records and asks for more time to review them.

Kevin's father, Dan Dalasta, submitted a letter to the court supporting the motion to continue the case. He said he has been Kevin's full-time caretaker since a recent surgery which left his son's movement hindered, slowed his word comprehension and diminshed his ability to speak, according to the TV station's report.

A ruling on the trial delay is expected next week.

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.