Trial for Marion man charged in crash that terminated woman’s pregnancy moved to February

The trial of a Marion man who is accused of intentionally crashing his vehicle into another vehicle in Cedar Rapids last year, causing the premature termination of the other driver’s unborn child, has been delayed until next year.

Background

Trenton Everett Eiben who was speeding east on First Avenue E in his Pontiac Sunfire ran a red light at 10th Street before he appeared to intentionally move over into westbound traffic, crashing into a Chevrolet Traverse on Feb. 26, 2024.

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Witnesses told police the Eiben, 43, was going eastbound down the center turn lane when he crashed into the Traverse driver, later identified as Merylin Louise Bowden, 39, of Cedar Rapids. Bowden had just pulled out of Starbucks and was headed west in the 1300 block of First Avenue E, according to court documents.

Eiben’s Sunfire hit the SUV in the front driver’s side and quarter panel area, a criminal complaint stated. Witnesses described to police Eiben’s driving as “intentional and making no attempt to avoid collision.” They said Eiben had an open lane to the front and right of him, but instead drove into the westbound lanes, striking the SUV.

Both Eiben and Bowden, who was 18 weeks pregnant, were injured and had to be extricated from their vehicles and taken to hospitals, according to the criminal complaint.

Bowden’s pregnancy was prematurely terminated as a result of her injuries, which also included a broken pelvic bone, broken ribs, vertebra fractures and other fractures related to the spine, the complaint stated.

Eiben suffered a spinal fracture in the crash, according to a search warrant affidavit.

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Video surveillance, scene and accident reconstruction, along with witnesses confirmed Eiben was speeding in the middle lane and had just driven through a red light at 10th Street and First Avenue E moments before he crossed into the westbound lane and crashed into Bowden’s vehicle, according to the complaint.

Eiben was traveling between 84 and 89 mph in the last five seconds before impact without braking, according to the complaint. Bowden’s vehicle was traveling between 4 and 12 mph within 8 seconds before impact.

A search warrant affidavit that was unsealed after Eiben was charged revealed that before the crash, he’d just left the Cedar Rapids Police Department and called his wife to say he loved her before getting into the crash. He was at the police department talking to an investigator, the affidavit stated.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks told The Gazette he couldn’t comment as to why Eiben had been at the police department before the crash.

Eiben was charged in April of this year with nonconsensual termination of a pregnancy during a forcible felony, willful injury resulting in serious injury, and serious injury by motor vehicle-reckless driving.

A judge set a $100,000 cash-only bail for Eiben on the charges.

What has happened since

About a month after he was charged, in May 2025, Eiben was accused of exposing himself to one child and having inappropriate contact with another, which explained why he was speaking to an investigator before the February crash. He was charged with indecent contact with a child, an aggravated misdemeanor, and indecent exposure — exposed self, a serious misdemeanor.

The incidents involving the two children are alleged to have happened between July 16, 2018 and July 13, 2020, according to a criminal complaint.

One child told a forensic interviewer at the UnityPoint-St. Luke’s Child Protection Center that Eiben forced her to touch him when she was 5 years old, between July 16, 2018 and June 15, 2019, according to a criminal complaint.

Another child told an interviewer Eiben exposed himself to her during the 2018-2020 time frame, the complaint stated.

A judge set bail for those charges at $4,000 and Eiben has remained in jail pending trial.

His trial, initially set for October, was reset to Dec. 16. It was recently continued.

Assistant Linn County Attorney Andrew Powers said after depositions were conducted, they identified more witnesses that needed to be added to the case.

The defense, in a case management conference report, also said it needed more time to review the new witnesses and additional discovery.

The trial is reset to Feb. 3. If convicted of the crash related charges, Eiben faces up to 40 years in prison. If convicted of the other charges, he faces up to three years in prison.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette

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