Iowa Supreme Court · No. 23-0560
State of Iowa v. Christopher James Wilson
Decided April 19, 2024 · appeal from Story County · Criminal
What the court decided
AI summary The defendant appealed his conviction for two counts of indecent exposure, arguing that he should only have been charged once rather than once for every person who saw him. The court affirmed the original decision. This means the convictions and the sentences for both counts remain in place.1
Result: AFFIRMED
The court’s own summary
Christopher James Willson appeals his conviction following a jury trial for indecent exposure in violation of Iowa Code sections 709.9 and 709.9(2)(a). He argues the unit of prosecution for indecent exposure is one count per exposure, not one count per view; therefore, there was insufficient evidence to convict him on two counts. Wilson further argues his conviction on two counts amounted to an illegal sentence, and the court did not give reasons for ordering his sentences to run consecutively.
Holding: The defendant appeals his conviction and sentence of two counts of inde- cent exposure, arguing that the unit of prosecution is per exposure, not per viewer; therefore, there was insufficient evidence to convict him on two separate counts of indecent exposure. AFFIRMED.
Judges
- Written by Chief Justice Susan Christensen
- Trial judge: Steven P. Van Marel, Story County
Iowa Code it cites
Each links to the bills that change that chapter.