The trial of a western Iowa deputy charged in the shooting death of a suspect starts today (Tuesday). Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Butler is charged with voluntary manslaughter for shooting and killing Dwayne Jens of Hancock after Jens led officers on a chase December 30th. Butler’s attorney, Lori Falk-Goss, says Butler will testify in his own defense during the trial. She says Butler will claim self-defense. The prosecutor in the trial is Assistant Attorney General Charles Thoman. Thoman was the prosecutor in the Dixie Shanahan murder trial last year in Shelby County. The prosecution has lined up 21 witnesses to take the stand. If convicted, Butler would be sentenced to a mandatory ten years in prison.
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