The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the charges against a Decatur County man who rammed the sheriff’s patrol vehicle with a tractor.
Gerry Greenland was convicted of attempted murder and assault on a peace officer after ramming the Sheriff’s SUV with hay bale tines on the front of a tractor. The sheriff was responding to a fight involving Greenland and family members at a farm near Grand River in May of 2019. The door of the SUV was damaged, but the tines did not penetrate it and the sheriff escaped injury.
Greenland’s appeal said the SUV was unmarked, and there was no evidence he was attempting to kill the sheriff. He also called for the two charges to be merged. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled the Sheriff’s SUV had flashing lights, Greenland had adjusted the height of the bale tines and shifted gears when the tractor slowed. The Supreme Court says the separate actions of Greenland were enough to justify the two separate charges.