State of Iowa v. Dillon Michael Heilier

Waukon, Iowa, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with theft by taking of a vehicle that was reported stolen in Wisconsin.

At approximately 7:30 in the morning on October 1, 2023, Heiller parked an orange 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV bearing Wisconsin license plates in front of a house in Waukon, Iowa. One of the homeowners was on her porch having a cup of coffee. She did not recognize Heiller or the vehicle. She went
inside the house and watched Heiller from the mudroom. Heiller exited the vehicle and went back and forth from the trunk to the front seat. Then he went into the backseat of the vehicle and closed the doors. The homeowner thought that was odd, and she called her husband to come and watch. Heiller got out of the vehicle, opened the trunk, and placed items into a backpack. He put up the hood on his orange sweatshirt and put on sunglasses. Then he walked a block or so away carrying the backpack and a four-pack of wine coolers. The woman
thought “it was really weird” that Heiller would park one block away from the
person he was visiting, and she called the Waukon Police Department. She gave
the police department the license plate information. The police department ran
the plate, told the woman that the car was reported stolen, and told her that they
would be there in a minute.

The district court sentenced Heiller to an indeterminate term of incarceration not to exceed five years.

Heiller was not subject to prosecution in this state pursuant to section 803.1. We vacate the court of appeals decision and Heiller’s conviction and sentence. We remand this case to the district court for further proceedings. See Iowa R. Crim. P. 2.19(5)(b