LOHRVILLE — Charges against a Lohrville man who was charged with felony child endangerment after his 6-year-old son died while handling an unsecured firearm have been dismissed.

Justin Richard Pope, 28, was charged in October with child endangerment resulting in death, a Class B felony, and making firearms available to a minor, an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to court records, Assistant Calhoun County Attorney James Heiliger filed a motion to dismiss the charges on Dec. 18, stating that “after examining the records and taking all relevant things into consideration, the State believes there currently is not enough evidence to prove this matter beyond a reasonable doubt” and “the interests of justice and judicial economy are best served by dismissing this prosecution.”

That same day, Chief District Court Judge Adria Kester issued the order dismissing the charges, requiring Pope to pay all court costs, including any court-appointed attorney’s fees. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the same charges could be brought against Pope in the future if additional evidence is found.

Pope’s son, Alexzander, was fatally injured when the child was handling an unsecured firearm he found in the home shortly before 7 a.m. on June 16. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the incident.

Pope was charged on Oct. 19 and pleaded not guilty on Oct. 31. Calhoun County Sheriff Pat Riley wrote in the criminal complaints that Pope “left firearms easily accessible in areas of his residence where minors reside,” two of which were loaded handguns. Additionally, the criminal complaints note, the firearms weren’t secured by a trigger lock mechanism or stored in a locked box or container.