State Senator Adrian Dickey no longer faces a criminal charge stemming from his arrest in Sac County on the second day of RAGBRAI.

Sac County Attorney Ben Smith filed a motion to dismiss the charge of interference with official acts in Sac County Court on October 6. Magistrate Joshua Walsh granted the motion later the same day. Dickey had pleaded not guilty and had requested a jury trial. His attorney had characterized the dispute with a sheriff’s deputy as a “misunderstanding.”

Smith made three points in the motion to dismiss:

1. After examining the records and considering all relevant things, the State believes that there is not enough evidence to prove this matter beyond a reasonable doubt.
2. In weighing the likelihood of a jury conviction against the allocation of prosecutorial resources, the State believes the interests of justice and judicial economy are best served by dismissing this prosecution.
3. The defendant has agreed to pay court costs if the prosecution is dismissed.

The magistrate ordered Dickey to pay all court costs within 30 days of October 6 and noted that this charge “shall be expunged” if criteria outlined in state law are met.

In a statement provided to WHO-TV on October 9, Dickey said, “It was a total misunderstanding and I was innocent.” He said he “was not drinking” and “was not a part of the party” that was blocking the rural road. He added,

In 50 years, I have NEVER been arrested. I appreciate the Sac County Attorney for correcting this and restoring my reputation. I have always been a huge supporter of law enforcement and I continue to back the blue today. I look forward to championing the efforts of the men and women who protect our communities.

Shortly after the Republican lawmaker’s RAGBRAI arrest, I requested audio and video footage related to the incident. In refusing to provide those records, Smith told me in August that releasing the law enforcement body and dashboard camera footage could jeopardize Dickey’s right to a fair trial. Now that the case has been dismissed, I will renew my request, due to the high public interest in these events.

Since being arrested during the bicycle ride, Dickey has added to his long list of traffic violations. According to records available on Iowa Courts Online, he got another speeding ticket (by my count his thirteenth) in Jefferson County on September 1, for going 11 to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit in a zone where the limit is below 55 miles per hour. He received a ticket in Marion County on September 24 for failing to display a registration plate.

Unrelated to those cases, Dickey is a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed in July by his daughter Korynn Dickey, his ex-wife Shawna Husted (Korynn’s mother), and Allen Husted (Korynn’s adoptive father). The plaintiffs alleged that Dickey improperly took a security interest in a vehicle he had purchased for his daughter, committed fraud when submitting the lien and title applications for the car, and was unjustly enriched by retaining the insurance settlement after the vehicle was totaled earlier this year.

Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding already determined Dickey won’t face any criminal charges related to those allegations.

In August, the senator filed a counterclaim against his daughter and the Husteds, seeking damages for defamation. A Jefferson County District Court dismissed one of the plaintiffs’ claims against Jefferson County Treasurer Mark Myers but allowed the other to proceed to trial.

Last week, the plaintiffs amended their petition. They will be pursuing the following claims:

• that Dickey and the county treasurer failed to perfect a security interest in Korynn’s vehicle;
• that Dickey “made numerous false representations” in order to obtain a lien and title on the vehicle;
• that he unjustly retained proceeds from an insurance settlement, which should go to his daughter; and
• that he defamed all of the plaintiffs in statements to news media in late August.

Jury selection and trial will take place in Washington County, under an order Jefferson County District Court Judge Shawn Showers issued last month. The plaintiffs had requested a venue change to Johnson County, since both defendants are elected officials in Jefferson County. Dickey resisted the motion for a venue change, while attorneys representing Myers asked the court to move proceedings to Washington County instead.

Dickey was first elected to the Iowa Senate in a 2021 special election and was re-elected to a full four-year term in 2022. He represents Senate district 44, covering all of Jefferson, Keokuk, and Van Buren counties, and parts of Mahaska and Henry counties.

Top image: Official legislative photo of State Senator Adrian Dickey.