Linn County makes progress moving sex abuse cases through court after many had stalled in the system

CEDAR RAPIDS — The number of sex abuse cases that have lingered in the Linn County court system for more than a year has decreased in recent months, thanks to efforts by the court to impose more pretrial conferences and firm trial dates.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks, whose analysis revealed the backlog last year, said an early review of the 80 sex abuse cases that were open and remained unresolved from 2020 through April of 2025, shows they are trending in the right direction. Of the 80 cases, 43 have been resolved and 37 remain open.

“I always noticed throughout my career that the sex abuse cases last longer than other cases,” Maybanks told The Gazette last year, while speaking about his analysis. “It has become egregiously worse over the course of the last few years. Those really stood out because I still carry those on my caseload. I had one or two going on two or three years old.”

Data showed many cases were being bumped due to defendants changing lawyers, issues with the discovery process, depositions repeatedly not being conducted and — in some cases — for no apparent reason, according to court documents.

Maybanks and 6th Judicial District Chief Judge Lars Anderson started working on the backlog after Maybanks brought the issue to the court’s attention and the court imposed more case management conferences. The conferences hold all parties accountable for keeping cases moving forward toward resolution. During those conferences, the judges also have been setting firm trial dates to reduce further continuances.

Anderson said those more frequent conferences, which provide more opportunities for a prosecutor and defense lawyer to discuss any issues for a delay or possible plea agreements, seem to be working and will continue.

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“In general, sex abuse cases have historically been more complicated and time-consuming than many other types of criminal cases,” Anderson told The Gazette last year.

Paperwork was added to the conferences to track progress of the cases because judges aren’t specifically assigned to sex abuse cases, and a difference judge could be overseeing each conference. Both the prosecution and the defense must complete the paperwork.

The four oldest cases, which had little movement over the years, have moved forward since the changes were made last year. The data shows three remain open but those defendants have pleaded. A case remains in “open” status until sentencing is complete.

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Two of those cases had continued trials 11 times since 2021 and the others had several continuances with little progress made in the case until the court added more conferences.

Examples of recent pleas in older cases include:

- Jason Daniels, 53, formerly of Marion, pleaded Aug. 21, to three charges of lascivious acts with a child — solicitation, dominion/control of a firearm by domestic abuser, and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse in Linn County District Court. His trial had been continued 11 times. He will be sentenced Jan. 20.

- Joshua Joseph Scott, 45, of Cedar Rapids, was acquitted by a jury in November of three counts of second-degree sexual abuse. He was accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl in 2009. She delayed reporting the incidents to police until 2021.

- Jason Cobb, 46, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded in October to third-degree sexual abuse. His trial had been reset 11 times since 2021. His sentencing will be Jan. 30.

- James Patrick Shannon, 54, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded in September to third-degree sexual abuse and was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. His trial had been continued 11 times since 2022.

Status of other cases:

Since Maybanks reviewed the initial data on the sex abuse cases, there have been 32 new cases added in 2025.

Maybanks noted from Aug. 1, 2024 to March, 31, 2015, before the frequent conferences, 31 cases were closed. After the conferences were added, from April 1 to Dec. 9, 2025, 48 cases were closed, which is an increase of about 55 percent.

In looking at the yearly numbers for closed sex abuse cases:

This shows a 63 percent increase in the number of sex abuse cases from 2024 to 2025.

Maybanks said his office will continue to monitor the cases because he wants to continue getting resolutions and justice for victims.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com