State of Iowa v. Allan Robert Sievers

Allan Sievers appeals from his convictions on two counts of sexual abuse in the second degree. Sievers argues the district court erred: 1) in admitting evidence of the victim’s initial disclosures under Iowa Code section 622.31B; 2) in admitting explicit photographs located on his computer; 3) in ordering a witness to testify while shackled and in jail attire when the State elicited testimony from the witness that he was Sievers’ best friend; 4) in permitting the State to cross-examine Sievers beyond the scope of his testimony on direct examination; and 5) in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal.

Holding: The defendant challenges several evidentiary rulings, including the admission of hearsay testimony allowed as an initial disclosure of abuse under Iowa Code § 622.31B(2). Reversed and Case Remanded.