Michigan man pleads no contest after unsecured shotgun kills 5-year-old grandson

WHITE CLOUD, Mich. (AP) - A man blamed for the death of his 5-year-old grandson has pleaded no contest to violating Michigan’s new gun storage law, one of the first significant convictions since the law kicked in earlier this year.

Karl Robart faces a minimum prison sentence somewhere in a range of 19 months to three years, according to a deal disclosed Monday in Newaygo County court. He’ll return to court in western Michigan on Oct. 7.

Braxton Dykstra was shot and killed on April 1 when a 6-year-old cousin got access to a loaded, unlocked shotgun at Robart’s home in Garfield Township, investigators said.

In Michigan, someone who pleads no contest doesn’t 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 wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday. A similar case against Robart’s wife still is pending.

Michigan’s new gun storage law took effect in February. Firearms must be locked up when children are present. The consequences for a violation depend on the details of each incident and whether someone is wounded or killed.

Braxton’s father, Domynic Dykstra, said the length of his father-in-law’s prison sentence will be too short.

"They ruined my life. ... You know, my son’s life was worth way more than that, and they are the reason why he’s gone today," Dykstra told WZZM-TV.

At least 21 states have criminal laws related to failing to keep a gun away from children, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.