State v. Mitchell

CARTER, Justice.

This appeal revisits a question with which this court has struggled on numerous occasions: When can the State use evidence of other bad acts in a prosecution for sexual abuse. A jury convicted defendant John Mitchell of three counts of second-degree sexual abuse in violation of Iowa Code sections 709.1 and 709.3 (1997) after hearing, over his objection, the testimony of two other victims of his alleged abuse. The court of appeals affirmed, concluding the district court did not abuse its discretion in allowing this other bad-acts evidence. On further review, we now reverse and…