The Iowa Board of Parole has granted work release followed by parole to Rochelle Lynn Sapp, the former Orange City daycare provider convicted in connection with the death of three-year-old Autumn Elgersma.
Iowa Board of Parole Chair Renee Schulte confirmed the September 1 decision in an email response to Sioux County Radio. The board imposed restrictions on contact with minor children and requested that Sapp be supervised outside the judicial district where the crime occurred.
The board’s approval does not establish when Sapp will move from prison into work release or begin parole.
Board Explains Decision and Conditions
Schulte said the panel considered Sapp’s lack of a criminal record, positive behavior in prison, participation in programming and classes, employment, psychological evaluation, and community support.
The panel also considered Sapp’s acknowledgment that her actions took the victim’s life and that her description matched medical records reviewed by the board.
Schulte said Sapp’s previous interview was in 2018. None of the members of that panel remain on the board, so she could not explain their reasoning at that time.
“In previous paper reviews of her file where release was denied without an interview, the seriousness of the crime was the primary denial reason,” Schulte said.
Sapp will be subject to standard parole conditions, along with additional restrictions.
“In addition to those standard conditions, Ms. Sapp is not allowed to have contact with minor children unless it is approved by her parole officer, and is directed to engage in mental health programming with the guidance of her parole officer,” Schulte said.
The supervising officer will determine any approved contact with children and the type of mental health programming.
The board also requested that Sapp be diverted to the Fifth Judicial District. Schulte said Sapp’s support system has moved from the original district, while the victim’s family remains in the area.
“The request for diversion was made to support the victim’s family,” Schulte said.
Case Background and Sentencing
Three-year-old Autumn Elgersma of Orange City was injured while in Sapp’s care on October 29, 2013. Court records provided to Sioux County Radio by the Sioux County Clerk of Court describe the incident.
According to police affidavits, Sapp initially told the child’s mother that the girl had fallen down stairs. The mother took her to the Orange City hospital, and she was later airlifted to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls.
The affidavits state that medical personnel diagnosed a skull fracture and brain swelling. During an October 30 interview, Sapp admitted throwing the child to the floor after she would not remove her coat, according to the affidavits.
Elgersma died as a result of her injuries on October 31, 2013.
On October 16, 2014, Sapp pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in death. She also entered an Alford plea to child endangerment involving multiple acts, according to the judgments.
The original sentencing orders merged the sentences on the first two counts and ordered the sentence on the third count to run consecutively, for a total prison term not exceeding 100 years.
On October 15, 2015, Sioux County District Court Judge Edward A. Jacobson reconsidered the sentence on the court’s own motion and ordered the two 50-year terms to run concurrently, reducing the total maximum sentence to 50 years. The judge cited Sapp’s lack of a prior record, described her as a “model prisoner,” and noted that she was teaching in the prison school and had experienced no disciplinary issues reported by her counselor.
