Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court has affirmed a Harris man’s conviction for first-degree kidnapping and second-degree sexual abuse.
The Iowa Supreme Court wrote that they found ample evidence that in November 2012, 48-year-old Walter Norem removed his wife Dawn from a Milford parking lot, transported her to their rural residence, confined her there, and—as a consequence of that removal and confinement—she was intentionally subjected to sexual abuse and torture. Norem had argued insufficient evidence for the kidnapping charge among other issues in his appeal.
Norem’s attorney had argued that because Norem pulled over and offered his wife a chance to get out of the vehicle that the kidnapping ended there, and that she continued with him by her choice. The court did not agree since the offer happened in a secluded, uninhabited area where it would have been difficult for Dawn Norem to find help since she didn’t have her cell phone.
