Orange City, Iowa — The Iowa Court of Appeals has affirmed the guilty verdict of a Matlock man who was convicted of sexual abuse charges one year ago.
According to Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle, 33-year-old Daren Thomas Leikvold of Matlock was found guilty on September 29, 2016 in Sioux County District Court for one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, a Class C Felony.
Kunstle says that in February of 2016 authorities were contacted by Sheldon school officials who learned a 12-year-old child reported she was twice raped by her mother’s boyfriend, Daren Leikvold, who denied he ever inappropriately touched the child. After investigating, the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office arrested Leikvold, charging him with two counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree.
Court records say Leikvold pled not guilty, waived his right to a jury trial, and the case proceeded to a bench trial before the Honorable Chief Judge Duane Hoffmeyer on July 19-20, 2016. Leikvold choose not to testify.
Hoffmeyer found Leikvold guilty on one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree. He was sentenced on October 31st, 2016 to ten years in prison, fines, surcharges and other requirements.
On appeal, the Iowa Court of Appeals said that because sufficient evidence supports Leikvold’s conviction and the trial court acted within its discretion in ruling on the admissibility of evidence that the defense wanted to use to dismiss the victim as a witness, they affirmed the conviction.
The full text of the Court of Appeals ruling can be found here.
