DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man has been sentenced to up to 55 years in prison for sexual abuse and incest of a minor.

The Polk County Attorney’s Office says 33-year-old Tyler Hardwick entered an Alford guilty plea to 10 counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and one count of incest.

Hardwick was originally charged with 21 counts of sexual abuse and one count of incest in November 2023. Court records state Hardwick had sexually assaulted a minor several times over a two and half year period.

Hardwick’s first trial was declared a mistrial in July, with his second trial beginning August 4. The Polk County Attorney’s Office says Hardwick entered the Alford plea on August 5, under the agreement that some of the charges be dismissed.

At the sentencing the prosecution argued for a sentence of 255 years, stating each count represented a different sexual abuse, the Polk County Attorney’s Office says.

“The trauma here is a lifetime,” Assistant County Attorney Thomas Tolbert said. “The sexual abuse that happened in this case is so prolific that it deserves a sentence that puts him away for the rest of his life.”

Polk County District Judge Joseph Seidlin ruled the sexual abuse counts should run consecutive to each other along with the incest charge, totaling 55 years in prison. Hardwick will also remain on the sex offender registry for the remainder of his life.