State of Iowa v. Cedric Lee Taylor

• Court: Court of Appeals of Iowa
• Decided: May 7, 2025
• Docket: 24-1320
• Status: Published

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF IOWA

No. 24-1320 Filed May 7, 2025

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee,

vs.

CEDRIC LEE TAYLOR, Defendant-Appellant. ________________________________________________________________

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Dallas County, Erica Crisp, Judge.

Following a guilty plea, a defendant appeals the district court’s imposition

of a sentence consistent with the plea agreement. APPEAL DISMISSED.

Grant A. Woodard and Reuben A. Neff of Wandro, Kanne, & Lalor, P.C.,

Des Moines, for appellant.

Brenna Bird, Attorney General, and Joseph D. Ferrentino, Assistant

Attorney General, for appellee.

Considered without oral argument by Tabor, C.J., and Schumacher and

Chicchelly, JJ. 2

SCHUMACHER, Judge.

In March 2023, Cedric Taylor entered a written plea agreement with the

State to plead guilty to one count of harboring a runaway child, an aggravated

misdemeanor in violation of Iowa Code section 710.8 (2023), in Dallas County

case number AGCR046667. The written agreement provided that if Taylor

received a prison sentence in another pending case, FECR372121, then Taylor

would also receive a prison sentence in AGCR046667, to be served concurrently.1

The written plea agreement acknowledged the statutory-maximum two-year term

of incarceration plus fines. See Iowa Code § 903.1(2). Multiple continuances were

granted to delay sentencing as the parties awaited Taylor’s sentencing in

FECR372121. In the instant proceeding, Taylor waived his right to appear in

person for the plea taking and sentencing.

For the purposes of sentencing, Taylor waived formal record, and the

parties submitted a proposed order for the court. The district court was informed

that Taylor had been sentenced to prison in FECR372121. The court accepted

the plea agreement. Taylor was sentenced to an indeterminate two-year prison

term to be served concurrently with the prison term imposed in FECR372121. He

was assessed the statutory minimum fine of $855 which was suspended due to

incarceration. Taylor appeals.

The State does not challenge good cause—a jurisdictional requirement for

an appeal following a guilty plea to an aggravated misdemeanor. See Iowa Code

§ 814.6(1)(a)(3); State v. Rutherford, 997 N.W.2d 142, 146 (Iowa 2023). “But even

1 In a separate appeal, Taylor challenged the sentence imposed in FECR372121.

This appeal only concerns the sentence imposed in AGCR046667. 3

if a challenge is not made to our jurisdiction over an appeal, we must still determine

independently whether we have jurisdiction.” State v. Doyle, No. 24-0033, 2024

WL 4502134, at *3 (Iowa Ct. App. Oct. 16, 2024) (citing Crowell v. State Pub. Def.,

845 N.W.2d 676, 681 (Iowa 2014)); see also State v. Hidlebaugh, No. 23-2016,

2025 WL 271367, at *1 (Iowa Ct. App. Jan. 23, 2025) (“Although the State

concedes that we have jurisdiction, we are not bound by the concession.”).

The singular issue in this appeal is whether the district court abused its

discretion in imposing the prison sentence. Before we can consider that question,

Taylor must establish good cause. See Rutherford, 997 N.W.2d at 144 (“If good

cause is lacking, the court has no jurisdiction, and the appeal must be dismissed.”).

It is true that generally a defendant can establish good cause by appealing

the sentence imposed following a guilty plea rather than the plea itself, but this

general rule is limited to circumstances in which the defendant “receive[s] a

discretionary sentence that was neither mandatory nor agreed to as part of [the]

plea bargain.” State v. Damme, 944 N.W.2d 98, 105 (Iowa 2020). In situations

such as this one, in which the defendant does not allege a procedural error and

appeals a sentence that conforms with the plea agreement, we have continually

determined the defendant failed to establish good cause. See State v. Cart, No.

23-1338, 2025 WL 854775, at *2 (Iowa Ct. App. Mar. 19, 2025) (collecting cases);

State v. Sines, No. 22-0042, 2023 WL 3089881, at *2 (Iowa Ct. App. Apr. 26, 2023)

(same).

Taylor does not argue the sentence imposed exceeded the scope of the

plea agreement. The plea agreement contemplated an indeterminate two-year

prison term if Taylor received a prison sentence in his separate proceeding. The 4

established condition was met. As such, the imposed sentence conforms with the

plea agreement. Accordingly, Taylor has not established good cause, and we

must dismiss the appeal.

APPEAL DISMISSED.