State of Iowa
v.
Ericka Lynn Rankins
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
Ericka Lynn Rankins
Attorney for the Appellee
Nicholas E. Siefert, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for the Appellant
Jessica Donels
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Lawrence P. McLellan, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Tabor, C.J., and Chicchelly and Sandy, JJ. Opinion by Tabor, C.J. (6 pages)
Following the death of her five-year-old son, Ericka Rankins pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and three felony counts of neglect of a dependent person. For those nine offenses, the district court sentenced her to a prison term not to exceed thirty-two years. She appeals that sentence, contending that probation was a better option given her history of trauma and mental-health struggles. OPINION HOLDS: Because the district court did not abuse its discretion in choosing incarceration based on the “separate and serious nature of each of the offenses,” we affirm the sentence.
