DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has decided not move the trial of a former state lawmaker accused of sexual abuse.
The Des Moines Register reports Monday that District Judge Rustin Davenport has denied a request that former state Rep. Henry Rayhons be tried outside Hancock County.
The Iowa attorney general's office argued that they would not be able to find an impartial jury after extensive news coverage. Davenport wrote that news reports alone would not necessarily sway jurors.
Rayhons, of Garner, has pleaded not guilty to third-degree sexual abuse. He's accused of having sexual contact with his wife, Donna Rayhons, while she was living at a care center and not able to give consent. Donna Rayhons died in August.
The trial is scheduled to start Jan. 28, though it may be delayed.
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