Opinion ID: 2105884
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Was There Good Cause for Delay?

Text: In this case, the file date was October 17, 1995, forty-six days after the issuance of the citations. Therefore, the indictment was not found within forty-five days and must be dismissed unless there is good cause for the delay. Our court of appeals explained the considerations in finding good cause for delay in State v. O'Bryan, 522 N.W.2d 103, 106 (Iowa App.1994), as follows: Whether there is good cause depends on the reason for the delay. The surrounding circumstances affect the strength of the reason for the delay. If the delay has been short and the defendant was not prejudiced by it and the defendant has not demanded a speedy trial, a weaker reason will constitute good cause. Nonetheless, if the reason for the delay is insufficient, these other factors will not avoid dismissal. The arbitrary forty-five day limit cannot be violated, even a little bit without a showing of good cause. (Citations omitted.) A review of the transcript of the hearing on the motion to dismiss reveals that the State offered no reason for the delay between the court's approval of the information and the date of filing. The State simply noted that the forty-fifth day from the date of arrest was a Sunday and the unavailability of the judge constituted good cause for failing to obtain the court's approval until the forty-sixth day. (Under section 4.1(34), however, the forty-fifth day was Monday.) Because the State offers no reason for the delay between the court's approval and filing, we find it has failed to satisfy its burden of showing good cause. See O'Bryan, 522 N.W.2d at 106.