BOONE, Iowa—A Boone County jury this week found Jay Sawatzky not guilty of all charges in a domestic abuse case that dated back to April 2017. Sawatzky was originally found guilty, but retained new legal counsel to handle his case. The defense team released this statement following the jury’s verdict:
On January 22, 2020, a Boone County jury returned a verdict of not guilty of all charges in Mr. Sawatzky’s case. The Boone County Attorney’s Office alleged that Mr. Sawatzky committed domestic abuse, including felonious strangulation, against his ex-girlfriend in April of 2017. Mr. Sawatzky was initially tried and convicted in late 2017; however, Mr. Sawatzky retained new counsel who successfully convinced the trial court to set aside the guilty verdicts for numerous reasons, including the prosecutor admitting impermissible evidence of Mr. Sawatzky’s affiliation with the Sons of Silence motorcycle club.
After a four-day jury trial, the jury returned verdicts of not guilty, clearing him of all charges. His new counsel discredited the motive for the allegations and presented an alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the assault. Mr. Sawatzky was represented by Brandon Brown and Jessica Donels of Parrish Kruidenier.
(contributed press release, Parrish Kruidenier)
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