In the Supreme Court of Iowa
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA No. 16–1112 Filed December 22, 2017 Amended March 6, 2018 STATE OF IOWA, Appellee, vs. JASON GENE WEITZEL, Appellant. On review from the Iowa Court of Appeals. Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Floyd County, Peter B. Newell, District Associate Judge. The State requests further review of a court of appeals decision vacating defendant’s guilty pleas. DECISION OF COURT OF APPEALS AFFIRMED; DISTRICT COURT JUDGMENT REVERSED AND CASE REMANDED. David A. Kuehner of Eggert, Erb, Mulcahy & Kuehner, P.L.L.C., Charles City, for appellant. Thomas J. Miller, Attorney General, Kevin Cmelik, Thomas E. Bakke, and Jean C. Pettinger (until withdrawal), Assistant Attorneys General, and Rachel Ginbey, County Attorney, for appellee. 2 WIGGINS, Justice. A defendant appealed from the judgment and sentences entered on his guilty pleas to domestic abuse assault, possession of methamphetamine, carrying weapons, and operating while intoxicated. The defendant challenged the adequacy of his guilty plea colloquy, arguing the district court did not advise him about the statutory thirty- five percent criminal penalty surcharges. He claimed the district court’s failure to disclose the surcharges invalidated his guilty pleas. We transferred the case to our court of appeals. The court of appeals held the district court did not substantially comply with Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 2.8(2)(b)(2) during the guilty plea colloquy because it omitted information regarding the statutory thirty-five percent surcharges. Based on the district court’s noncompliance, the court of appeals reversed. The State applied for further review, which we granted.
[Show full text]