A man who was declared guilty of eleven felony counts of child abuse was able to delay sentencing this morning by claiming “ineffective assistance of counsel.”

Daniel Roger Hood, 43, made several “oral motions” to a judge, plus he submitted four handwritten pages, in which he requested a new trial.

The one allegation made by Hood which the judge said could possibly be “grounds for a new trial” was Hood’s claim that his private defense attorney, Karolyn Kovtun, did not “represent him adequately.” The judge did not grant a new trial today, but did set a future date to rule on that request.

Before the hearing was interrupted, the father of the 9-year-old girl allegedly abused by Hood had begun to speak to the court. The child’s father is an active-duty Marine who is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton.

The father first said thank-you to all the law enforcement agencies that worked to gather evidence. He expressed gratitude that criminals “are put away and out of our regular society” and referred to officers as “wolfhounds” who pursue “thug criminals.”

The gruff-voiced Marine said, “I like to call them the wolfhounds because you see that the best and most effective way to protect the flocks of sheep from misbehaving wolves is through the supporting of our wolfhounds.”

During his trial, on May 31, 2013, Daniel Roger Hood took the witness box to deny he was the one who took the incriminating photos and video found on his cell phone. The jury unanimously found him guilty on all counts after about an hour of deliberations.

Daniel Hood’s next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 8, 2013, before the Honorable Judge Blaine Bowman, in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.

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