Contact: Rachel Zimmermann Smith, Johnson County Attorney
Contact Number: 319-339-6100
Contact Email: [email protected]
For Immediate Release
North Liberty Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Serious Injury by Vehicle
October 21, 2025 (JOHNSON COUNTY, IA) – On October 16, 2025, in Iowa District Court, Ta’Gian Hughes, of North Liberty, Iowa, was sentenced to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to Serious Injury by Vehicle, a Class D Felony. Charges of Operating While Under the Influence – 2nd Offense, an Aggravated Misdemeanor; and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious Injury, an Aggravated Misdemeanor, were dismissed per a plea agreement. An unrelated charge from April 2025 of Driving While License Denied/Revoked, a Serious Misdemeanor, was also dismissed per the plea agreement.
The 5-year sentence is the result of a November 2024 incident where Hughes struck a pedestrian who was crossing West Penn Street in North Liberty. The then 21-year-old male victim suffered serious, life-threatening injuries as a result of the incident.
At the sentencing on Thursday, the victim read an impact statement to the court, stating, “I spent 18 days in a coma and 49 days in the hospital and inpatient rehabilitation. The physical toll has been immense, but so have the emotional and financial burdens.” Expressing his deepest gratitude for the first responders who saved his life, his parents, friends, coworkers, and faith community; he ended by promising that he would not waste his second chance at life and looks forward to deciding how the rest of his life story is written.
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Note: The official online PDF includes an attached Sentencing Order.