Opinion ID: 1349059
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Purposeful Personal Contact

Text: Purposeful is described as: Having a purpose; intentional. American Heritage Dictionary 1006 (2d ed.1985). Personal contact is described by the statute as: [A]n encounter in which two or more people are in visual or physical proximity to each other ... [including, but not limited to,] physical touching or oral communication .... Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(b) (emphasis added). This element of harassment goes more toward Button's control of his own actions than it does to who sought out the interaction. Button was the master of his threatening statements, and he controlled his conduct at all times. He could have chosen to remain silent or speak about innocuous subjects, yet he chose to be aggressive and threatening. Button purposefully expanded his detention into a threatening encounter. Still, Button questions how a harasser's actions can be purposeful when he is being held against his will. It is true that Button came to Prairie Meadows to gamble. However, once there, he was immediately detained because of his drunken state but not arrested. Sergeant Routson questioned him for several minutes to try to obtain his name and address or a number he could call to secure a ride home for Button. Button had the choice to either answer Routson's questions and be allowed to leave or continue to be argumentative and be forced to stay in Routson's company. His fate was in his own hands. Button purposefully chose to be abusive and uncooperative, which ultimately led to his arrest and the detention where he made his threatening statements. Button argues it was Routson who made purposeful contact, not Button. We are persuaded, however, that Button did commit purposeful acts when: (1) He chose to make the threats, turning the communication into harassment, and (2) He chose to be uncooperative leading to his detention and placing him in a position to make the threats. Because Button's argument has no merit, his counsel was not ineffective for failing to make this challenge. See Greene, 592 N.W.2d at 29; State v. Westeen, 591 N.W.2d 203, 207 (Iowa 1999).