State of Iowa
v.
Robert Earl Rivers, Jr.
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
Robert Earl Rivers, Jr.
Attorney for the Appellee
Louis S. Sloven, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for the Appellant
John Dirks
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Webster County, Angela L. Doyle, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Doyle, P.J., and Tabor and Mullins, JJ. Opinion by Mullins, J. (13 pages)
Robert Rivers Jr. appeals his convictions of eluding and driving while barred. He argues (1) the district court’s denial of his Batson challenge violated his right to equal protection under the federal constitution, (2) the use of peremptory strikes under Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 2.18 violates due process and the right to an impartial jury under the state and federal constitutions, (3) the State failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the charges and the court therefore erred in denying his motions for judgment of acquittal, and (4) his counsel rendered ineffective assistance in failing to object to testimony and evidence derived from the forensic examination of a cellular phone. OPINION HOLDS: We affirm Rivers’s convictions of eluding and driving while barred.