A central Iowa pastor has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after initially facing child endangerment charges and a felony weapons count.

The Rev. Michael Deavon Cameron, of Revival Center Church of God in Christ in Des Moines, pleaded guilty Friday to disorderly conduct after being accused of shooting a gun at a car carrying his daughter in February, court records show.

Cameron, 44, and his wife said multiple more serious charges — including going armed with intent and domestic abuse with a dangerous weapon — were dropped because there was no evidence that he opened fire.

"The only thing (my attorney said) she'll go for is a simple disorderly conduct. Maybe I did get a little loud at night. When it came to the man who shot at his daughter, allegedly, that was dropped a long time ago," Cameron said Thursday.

Cameron was sentenced to a day in jail and a $65 fine. He was originally charged with two counts of child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor; domestic abuse assault with a dangerous weapon, an aggravated misdemeanor; and intimidation with a serious weapon, a felony.

Thomas Miller, a prosecutor with the Polk County Attorney's Office, said a lack of cooperation made it impossible to pursue those charges.

"Officers weren't present at the time of the incident so we needed essential witnesses," he said. "We got little to no cooperation from those people."

The original charging documents alleged that Cameron took three of his children to confront his daughter's boyfriend — a man the family believed had been physically abusive. When Cameron arrived, the pastor's daughter left in a car with some of her friends.

Police, citing a witness account, said that as the pastor tried to stop the other car, he fired a gun in the direction of the vehicle. No one was injured and Cameron's family has maintained that no shots were fired.

Officers said a spent shell casing was in the car, but Cameron's wife, Shawnice, that said her husband is legally permitted to carry and that the shell casing was old.

"It's hard to tell exactly the whole story," Miller said. "There was a lot of family drama at the bottom of this."

A no-contact order stemming from the event prevented Michael Cameron from being around two of his children who were in his car that night.

An Iowa Department of Human Services investigation, according to court records, found no evidence of harm to the children in April. The no-contact order was lifted at that time.

Prosecutors in May formally charged Cameron with just one crime, a felony count of going armed with intent.

"Yes I was armed; I am licensed to carry," he said. "At the same time, I didn't brandish, I didn't threaten, I didn't do anything. I didn't get the opportunity because I didn't see the young man."

In the end, he avoided a felony, but his family is upset with the investigation and initial charges. A Des Moines police spokesman said any complaints can be referred to the department's Office of Professional Standards.

Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at 515-284-8378, tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR.