Iowa Supreme Court · No. 22-1920
State of Iowa v. Shannon Paige Hightower
Decided June 21, 2024 · appeal from Black Hawk County · Criminal
What the court decided
AI summary The defendant appealed her guilty pleas for felony charges, her sentencing, and the specific conditions set for her appeal bond. The court affirmed part of the lower court's decision, reversed another part, and sent the case back with instructions. This means some aspects of the original ruling remain in place while others must be reconsidered.1
Result: AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AND REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS
The court’s own summary
Shannon Paige Hightower appeals following her guilty plea for dependent adult abuse in violation of Iowa Code section 235B.20(5), a class D felony and theft in the second degree in violation of section 714.2(2), a class D felony. She argues: (1) her guilty pleas were unknowing and involuntary; (2) the district court erred by considering and relying on an improper factor when it determined her sentences; (3) the district court erred when it failed to allow her the opportunity to withdraw her guilty plea; and (4)the district court abused its discretion in imposing a $17,000 cash-only appeal bond, and the provision of the court’s order forfeiting the appeal bond to be applied to victim restitution is illegal.
Holding: Shannon Hightower appeals her guilty plea, her sentence, and the conditions ordered for her appeal bond. AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AND REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS.
Judges
- Written by Justice David May
- Trial judge: Linda M. Fangman, Black Hawk County
Iowa Code it cites
§701.6§811.8§814.29§814.6§902.9§910.2
Each links to the bills that change that chapter.