COEUR d’ALENE — A Rathdrum man accused of brutally beating his 11-year-old daughter with a belt and then denying her medical care to hide the abuse is expected to stand trial in early 2027.

Aaron Dyk, 32, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of injury to a child and a single count of aggravated battery, all felonies. He remains in jail on $500,000 bail. 

A five-day trial is expected to begin Jan. 11. 

The charges stem from July 10, when first responders arrived at a medical assist on Highway 41 after Dyk reported that his daughter was having a seizure in his car. The 11-year-old girl was unresponsive when medical personnel reached the scene and transported her to Kootenai Health. 

At the hospital, medical staff reported that the girl had sustained “severe bruising to her buttocks, lower back, legs and arms,” according to court records, as well as other injuries from “considerable trauma.” 

One police officer described the injuries as “the worst bruising I have observed on a child in my professional experience,” according to court records. 

The injuries caused the girl to go into kidney failure, according to court records, and she entered the pediatric intensive care unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane with “life-threatening injuries that had the potential to cause permanent brain damage, kidney failure and death.” She received dialysis and other treatments. 

Days later, Rathdrum police said the girl’s condition was stable. 

When interviewed by police, Dyk allegedly admitted to beating his daughter with a leather belt off and on for about four hours on July 5. 

Melanie Dyk, who is the child’s stepmother, told police her husband had “snapped” when he beat the child. She said she noticed the girl’s condition worsening in the days after the lashing and observed significant bruising on her body. 

By July 8, Melanie Dyk said she demanded that her husband take the child to the hospital, but he refused because he would be arrested, according to court records. 

Dyk also allegedly admitted to striking his daughter with a belt “15 to 20 times” around Father’s Day, relenting only when she told him where she had put an item he claimed she took from a sibling, according to court records. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, reach Safe Passage 24/7 by calling 208-664-9303 or texting 208-449-7228.