by Attorney Eric D. Puryear When a defendant is charged with a crime in Iowa, the State must file a Trial Information, which is the formal charging document for all indictable misdemeanors and felonies. The Trial Information must inform the defendant of the
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Under Iowa law, a person accused of a crime more serious than a Simple Misdemeanor (which would be a Serious Misdemeanor, Aggravated Misdemeanor, or a Felony), is entitled to a Preliminary Hearing under some
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear The word “arraignment” has a slightly different meaning in each state, but it generally refers to the process of a criminal defendant being told about the charges and formally entering a plea of guilty or not guilty. Since the plea of “not guilty” is almost always entered (at least at the beginning of a case), and the charges are not really a secret that the defendant is learning at arraignment, the court appearance for an arraignment is often more a matter of a formality than anything of real substance. The state of Iowa recognizes this, and allows arraignments to be handled in writing as a