DUBUQUE, Iowa — Nick Joseph Gau, of Asbury, was sentenced Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Dubuque County District Court after pleading guilty to assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, a serious misdemeanor under Iowa Code 708.2(2).

According to court records in case 01311 SRCR162922, Gau entered a negotiated or voluntary guilty plea before Associate Judge Mark T. Hostager. The offense date is listed as Dec. 11, 2025. Adjudication was entered the same day as the plea and sentencing.

The sentence includes 95 days in jail (with 90 days suspended), a $1,000 fine, and 24 months of probation other than Department of Correctional Services supervision. The jail and suspended-jail terms, fine, and probation were all imposed July 29, 2026, by Judge Hostager. Facility type is listed as jail. No restitution, drug testing, extradition, license revocation, or other special conditions beyond the standard notations appear in the disposition summary provided.

Court and contemporaneous news reports describe the underlying incident as occurring while a school bus was parked at Washington Middle School. Surveillance video reviewed by the Dubuque Community School District allegedly showed Gau confronting an 11-year-old student (some early reports described the child as approximately 10), pinning the student against the side of the bus, and kicking the student multiple times. Audio from the video is reported to include statements to the effect of “If you are going to kick me, I will kick you” and “I’m sick of your sh**.” The school provided photographs showing bruising on the student’s leg and redness on the forearm. The student’s mother has stated the child has autism (with some reports also noting ODD and ADHD).

The district contacted police after reviewing the video, reported the matter the day it became aware of it, and immediately terminated Gau’s employment as a bus driver or driver in training. Student safety was cited as the district’s top priority.

Gau, then 69, was arrested Feb. 3, 2026, on the assault-causing-bodily-injury charge and released on cash bond. Dubuque In Pursuit News reported details of the arrest and the July 29 guilty plea under a deferred-judgment arrangement that placed him on 24 months of probation, with formal sentencing deferred pending successful completion of probation conditions. Subsequent court disposition records reflect the jail term (largely suspended), fine, and probation ultimately imposed.

No additional charges related to this incident appear in the available case summary. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt; the guilty plea and sentence resolve the charge as 

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