Iowa

Iowa Supreme Court overturns doctor’s child sex abuse conviction

Published

8 months ago

December 23, 2025

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Iowa Supreme Court overturns doctor’s child sex abuse conviction

The Iowa Supreme Court overturned the sexual abuse conviction of a West Des Moines doctor.
The court ruled that allowing the child victim to testify via one-way video violated the Iowa Constitution.
This decision is one of several that has set Iowa apart from other states on the issue of remote testimony.

The Iowa Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a West Des Moines doctor found guilty of sexually abusing a child, ruling that allowing the victim to testify via one-way video violated the Iowa Constitution.

The court on Tuesday, Dec. 23, reversed the conviction of Lynn Melvin Lindaman, a longtime central Iowa surgeon who practiced at the Lindaman Orthopaedics clinic in West Des Moines before he was charged in 2023 with second-degree sexual abuse. The case was remanded for a new trial.

The decision is the latest in a string of rulings that have set Iowa apart as the only state in the country whose highest court has barred one-way video testimony in criminal trials, even in cases involving child victims.

Those decisions already have begun reshaping prosecutions across the state and have prompted lawmakers to launch the process of amending the Iowa Constitution. The change would ultimately require voter approval.

Lindaman, now 75, was convicted after a jury trial in Polk County. Prosecutors alleged that on June 26, 2023, he committed a sex act in Ankeny against a child under the age of 10. A second count of sexual abuse was dismissed prior to trial. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 42½ years because of a prior sexual predatory offense in 1976. He also faced a separate and now-dismissed civil lawsuit from an Iowa woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her in 1975.

The Iowa Offender Search still lists Lindaman as in custody of the Iowa Medical & Classification Center.

On appeal, Lindaman argued that his constitutional rights were violated when the district court allowed the child to testify from another room via one-way closed-circuit television, rather than from the witness stand in the courtroom.

“Today’s decision from the Iowa Supreme Court is an important win for Lynn Lindaman and a major step toward a fair result,” said Lucas Taylor, the attorney representing Lindaman. “Although the court did not rule in our favor on every issue, this ruling recognizes serious errors in the prior proceedings and gives Mr. Lindaman the chance to present his defense to a new jury.”

In a 4-3 ruling issued earlier this year in State v. White, the Iowa Supreme Court agreed with that argument, holding that one-way video testimony violates the confrontation clause of the Iowa Constitution. Writing for the majority in that case, Justice David May said that “when the accused and the witness are prevented from seeing each other, there is no face-to-face confrontation, and the Iowa Constitution is not satisfied.”

The ruling came despite U.S. Supreme Court precedent allowing such testimony and laws in many other states permitting it. Under the Iowa statute the court overturned, judges had been allowed to authorize remote testimony by minors, or witnesses with mental illnesses or disabilities, if a judge found that “trauma caused by testifying in the physical presence of the defendant … would impair the minor’s ability to communicate.”

The White decision arose from an Osceola County case, but its effects have since spread and courts across Iowa have begun hearing challenges from defendants convicted in cases where one-way video testimony was used.

Following the ruling, Lynn Hicks, a spokesman for the Polk County Attorney’s Office, said at least five Polk County defendants convicted under similar circumstances could be entitled to new trials.

One of those defendants, Michael Dunbar, already has received a new trial. Dunbar was resentenced after the victim testified in person from the witness stand, and the court again imposed a life sentence.

Dissent fuels push to amend Iowa Constitution

The State v. White ruling has drawn sharp criticism from prosecutors and state leaders, including Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who has argued the decision unnecessarily traumatizes child victims.

Bird has proposed a constitutional amendment to allow children to testify remotely in certain cases. The measure has passed both chambers of the Legislature once and must pass again before going to voters in a statewide referendum.

“Children shouldn’t be forced to testify at arm’s length from their abusers, and many kids can’t. This opinion shows how important it is to restore protections for a child victim to testify remotely,” Bird said in a Tuesday statement to the Des Moines Register. “Our office will continue to fight for a constitutional amendment to ensure kids are protected and abusers are brought to justice. We are grateful our effort has received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Iowa Legislature.”

Justice Thomas D. Waterman, writing in a dissent in the opinion issued Tuesday, rejected the majority’s historical interpretation of the confrontation clause.

“Thunder comes during rainstorms; it does not follow that thunder requires rain. That video testimony was not used in 1871 tells us more about technology than it does about constitutional interpretation,” Waterman wrote.

He also said there is “no historical evidence that the framers of the Iowa Constitution intended a different meaning for confrontation rights than the Sixth Amendment,” and warned that the majority was reading requirements into Iowa’s Constitution that do not exist in its text.

Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.

This story was updated to add new information and to correct an inaccuracy.

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Iowa

QB competition, special teams overhaul among Iowa football’s open questions

Published

33 minutes ago

August 14, 2026

Press Room

QB competition, special teams overhaul among Iowa football’s open questions

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa football is three weeks from its home opener and has yet to name a starting quarterback. Head coach Kirk Ferentz, entering his 28th season, said he will allow the competition to continue.

The two candidates are Jeremy Heklinski and Hank Brown. Both have limited experience, and their statistics are comparable. Ferentz indicated leadership will be the deciding factor.

Brown addressed what the role requires.

“Being a quarterback, you take on a leadership role, whether you like it or not, but there’s extents that you have to go to to really establish yourself as a leader, especially here,” Brown said. “One of the ways I love to be a leader is just to serve my teammates. It’s just, you know, whatever they need, help them out, encourage them, whatever. Having the discernment to know what they need in that certain moment and do my best to focus on them and not myself.”

While the quarterback position remains unsettled, Iowa’s running back room is not a concern. Ferentz called the group one of the most veteran on the team.

Four running backs with Division I experience return this season. Transfer L.J. Phillips came to Iowa from South Dakota. Kamari Moulton returns as a veteran, along with younger backs Xavier Williams and Nathan McNeil.

No starter has been named, but the unit’s rushing attack ranked in the top five in the Big Ten last season.

“Oh, the competition’s everywhere. The competition’s great,” Phillips said. “We go out here and compete. We make each other better. Iron sharpens iron. And I think, you know, anywhere you go, you’re going to have competition. That’s just life. You know, you want a job interview, you’ve got to compete against someone to get the job.”

Offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said the group’s depth is an asset.

“It’s an exciting group of running backs,” Norvell said. “And right now, you know, we’re building the foundation that we need for a long, hard season. But that competitiveness in the room is making them all better. And so, I think we have a lot of guys that are capable of playing. We’ve had four that have played. You know, and so it’s going to be interesting these next couple weeks to see who rises to the top.”

Iowa’s special teams unit enters the season under new leadership, with changes at coordinator and specialist positions. Ferentz said one player has separated himself in the competition for punt returner.

“If we were playing tomorrow, which we’re not, but you’ll see Lutmer back there, he’d be the first guy,” Ferentz said.

Zach Lutmer said he is ready for the opportunity.

“Anytime I can get the ball in my hands and, you know, help the team in any way, I’d take that opportunity 100%,” Lutmer said.

Iowa’s season opener is Sept. 5 against Northern Illinois. Fans will have a preview opportunity Saturday at Kids Day at Kinnick Stadium.

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Iowa

Drought continues to ease in Iowa. See where dry conditions linger.

Published

13 hours ago

August 14, 2026

Press Room

Drought continues to ease in Iowa. See where dry conditions linger.

The share of Iowa experiencing drought or abnormal dryness fell by nearly 10 percentage points week over week, and even heavier rainfall has arrived since the latest report, signaling potential improvement.

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide. New maps and forecasts are released each Thursday. What are the current drought conditions in Iowa?

U.S. Drought Monitor map: How much of Iowa is in a drought?

The latest Drought Monitor report, released on Aug. 13, showed about 37% of Iowa experiencing some form of drought or abnormal dryness. The previous report, released on Aug. 6, showed 45% of the state was experiencing some form of dryness.

The most recent report reflects conditions as of 8 a.m. Aug. 11. Here is the breakdown of current drought conditions in Iowa:

64% of the state of Iowa is experiencing no dryness or drought conditions
12% of Iowa is experiencing abnormally dry conditions
22% of Iowa is experiencing moderate drought conditions
3% of Iowa is experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional drought conditions

The share of Iowa land experiencing abnormal dryness fell 6 percentage points since the Aug. 6 report, while moderate drought declined by 4 points. However, the area experiencing extreme drought increased by nearly 3 percentage points, with the increase concentrated in western Iowa.

Current conditions are worse than they were a year ago, when 100% of the state was drought-free, according to the Drought Monitor report from Aug. 12, 2025.

Current U.S. drought conditions

About 74% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought or abnormal dryness, up 3 percentage points from the previous week. Drought conditions are less severe across parts of the Midwest and Northeast.

Iowa Drought Monitor tracks conditions weekly

The U.S. Drought Monitor offers a state-by-state tracking of drought conditions nationwide.

The intensity levels range from abnormally dry, or D0, to exceptional drought, or D4.

Typically with D0 conditions, corn can show drought stress. Pond levels start to decline under moderate drought conditions and soybeans abort pods, according to the Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor also has a look-back chart that compares drought conditions from 3 months ago up to 1 year ago.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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