The Iowa Supreme Court will rule on a case involving a western Iowa sheriff’s deputy who was exonerated in a fatal shooting but now has an expensive legal bill.
The Shelby County Supervisors have voted to appeal a district court ruling regarding attorney fees for the defense of Deputy Chad Butler. Butler stood trial in June of 2005 for shooting and killing a Dwayne Jens of Hancock at the end of a high-speed chase near Shelby in December of 2004.
Butler said he fired after he thought he saw a weapon in Jens’ hand, but no weapon was ever found. A jury in Shelby County found Butler innocent of any wrongdoing in the incident. Last week, a district court judge ruled that Shelby County was responsible for the 63-thousand-dollars owed to Butler’s defense attorneys. The County is appealing that ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court.