In re Detention of Barr

CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedOctober 19, 2022
Docket21-1305
StatusPublished

This text of In re Detention of Barr (In re Detention of Barr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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In re Detention of Barr, (iowactapp 2022).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF IOWA

No. 21-1305 Filed October 19, 2022

IN RE DETENTION OF JOSHUA BARR,

Joshua Barr, Respondent-Appellant. ________________________________________________________________

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Allamakee County, Richard D.

Stochl, Judge.

Joshua Barr appeals the district court order adjudicating him a sexually

violent predator and civilly committing him to the custody of the department of

health and human services. AFFIRMED.

Chad R. Frese of Kaplan & Frese, LLP, Marshalltown, for appellant.

Thomas J. Miller, Attorney General, and Linda J. Hines, Assistant Attorney

General, for appellee.

Considered by Bower, C.J., Tabor, J., and Blane, S.J.*

*Senior judge assigned by order pursuant to Iowa Code section 602.9206 (2022). 2

BOWER, Chief Judge.

Joshua Barr appeals his commitment as a sexually violent predator under

Iowa Code Chapter 229A (2015). He argues the district court erred by concluding

beyond a reasonable doubt that he had a mental abnormality that made him more

likely than not to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence. The court’s findings

are supported by substantial evidence and, thus, we affirm.

I. Background Facts.

In 2007, Barr was charged with a sexual offense against a twelve-year-old

girl and pleaded guilty to simple assault; he was twenty-six years old. In 2011,

Barr was convicted of three sexually violent crimes when he was age twenty-nine.

The victims of the three offenses were ages thirteen (indecent contact with a child),

fifteen (third-degree sexual abuse), and sixteen (third-degree sexual abuse). With

respect to the third-degree-sexual-abuse convictions, Barr was sentenced to

concurrent ten-year prison terms and a special sentence of lifetime parole.

On October 14, 2015, the State filed a petition alleging Barr was a sexually

violent predator. A hearing was held, and the court found probable cause Barr

was a sexually violent predator and set his case for trial.

Trial on the merits was continued several times for good cause, with a

bench trial finally held on July 21 and 22, 2021. The State provided testimony from

Barr and its expert, Dr. Tracy Thomas. Barr offered testimony from his expert,

Dr. Christopher Fisher. The competing experts disagreed whether Barr

(1) suffered from a mental abnormality and (2) was “more likely than not” to

reoffend in a sexually violent manner if released to the community. The district

court found the State had met its burden to prove Barr was a sexually violent 3

predator and all elements under the statute were met beyond a reasonable doubt.

Barr was then committed to the custody of the director of the Iowa Department of

Health and Human Services until such time as his mental abnormality no longer

existed or he was not a risk to reoffend.

Barr appeals, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence to support either

of the court’s factual findings.

II. Standard of Review.

“We review a challenge to the sufficiency of evidence for errors at law.” In

re Det. of Barnes, 689 N.W.2d 455, 457 (Iowa 2004). We will uphold the court’s

decision if there is substantial evidence “upon which a rational trier of fact could

find the respondent to be a sexually violent predator beyond a reasonable doubt.”

In re Det. of Betsworth, 711 N.W.2d 280, 286 (Iowa 2006). “To determine whether

the evidence was substantial, we consider the entirety of the evidence presented

in a ‘light most favorable to the State, including all legitimate inferences and

presumptions which may be fairly and reasonably deduced from the record.’” In

re Det. of Swanson, 668 N.W.2d 570, 574 (Iowa 2003) (citations omitted).

III. Analysis.

Our legislature has made this finding: “In contrast to persons appropriate

for civil commitment under chapter 229, sexually violent predators generally have

antisocial personality features that are unamenable to existing mental illness

treatment modalities and that render them likely to engage in sexually violent

behavior.” Iowa Code § 229A.1 (2015). Thus, the legislature has provided for “a

civil commitment procedure for the long-term care and treatment of the sexually

violent predator.” Id. 4

The procedures regarding sexually violent predators should reflect legitimate public safety concerns, while providing treatment services designed to benefit sexually violent predators who are civilly committed. The procedures should also reflect the need to protect the public, to respect the needs of the victims of sexually violent offenses, and to encourage full, meaningful participation of sexually violent predators in treatment programs.

Id.

The statute defines a “sexually violent predator” as “a person who has been

convicted of or charged with a sexually violent offense and who suffers from a

mental abnormality which makes the person likely to engage in predatory acts

constituting sexually violent offenses, if not confined in a secure facility.” Id.

§ 229A.2(12). A “mental abnormality” is “a congenital or acquired condition

affecting the emotional or volitional capacity of a person and predisposing that

person to commit sexually violent offenses to a degree which would constitute a

menace to the health and safety of others.” Id. § 229A.2(6). Barr challenges the

court’s findings that he has a mental abnormality and a predisposition to commit

sexually violent offenses.

Convicted of sexually violent offense. There is no dispute Barr has been

convicted of three sexually violent offenses. Barr admitted he had been convicted,

following guilty pleas, of two counts of third-degree sex abuse and indecent contact

with a child based upon acts that occurred in the summer of 2010. See id.

§ 229A.2(11) (defining “[s]exually violent offense”).

Mental abnormality. To prove Barr had a “mental abnormality,” the State

was required to show he has “a congenital or acquired condition affecting [his]

emotional or volitional capacity.” 5

Barr testified he was forty years old at the time of trial. He committed the

three offenses while on probation for operating while intoxicated. He stated he

pleaded guilty to these offenses to avoid a possibly much longer sentence if

convicted of the original charges. Barr testified he met the victim involved in his

conviction of indecent contact on Facebook. When asked what prompted him to

reach out to the girl, he stated, “Very risqué photos.” He admitted he knew she

was thirteen when he talked to her in a sexual manner and groped her. Barr

admitted having sexual intercourse with the fifteen- and sixteen-year old girls. He

testified, “but [I] didn’t rape anyone.”

Barr testified that while he was released awaiting trial on the sexual offenses

he violated a no-contact order and spoke with one of his victims. He conceded he

was also found in the company of a sixteen-year-old in violation of the conditions

of his release during this time. According to Dr. Thomas’s report, Barr also

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Related

State v. Jacobs
607 N.W.2d 679 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2000)
In Re Detention of Swanson
668 N.W.2d 570 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2003)
State v. Thornton
498 N.W.2d 670 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1993)
In Re the Detention of Betsworth
711 N.W.2d 280 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2006)
In Re Detention of Barnes
689 N.W.2d 455 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2004)

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