State v. Wickes

At issue was whether the evidence was sufficient to support Defendant’s conviction on one count of sexual exploitation by a school employee under Iowa Code 709.15(3)(a)(1) and 709.15(5)(a) where Defendant hugged a student several times.The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction, holding (1) Iowa Code 709.15(3)(a)(1) does not require the State to show that a school employee engaged in a pattern, practice, or scheme to engage in sexual conduct with multiple students or over a certain period of time; and (2) the State presented substantial evidence - including dozens of hugs, thousands of communications, and photographs - that Defendant engaged in a pattern, practice, and scheme to engage in sexual conduct with the student at issue. View "State v. Wickes" on Justia Law