State of Iowa v. William Lamont Taylor, 15-2128

Early morning traffic stop: officers pursued a Mercury Mountaineer driven by William Taylor when it lacked proper plates; Taylor fled at high speeds through interstate and neighborhoods.
After about four miles, Taylor drove onto his yard, made a U-turn on the grass, revved the engine, and rammed head-on into Officer Trevor Spear’s squad car; three dash-cams recorded the events.
Taylor was arrested, admitted fleeing because of an outstanding warrant, and was charged with assault on a peace officer with a dangerous weapon (Iowa Code § 708.3A(2)) and eluding (§ 321.279(2)); he stipulated to prior felonies for habitual-offender enhancement.
At trial, officers testified they believed the collision was intentional; videos were presented for the jury to view Taylor’s driving and maneuvers.
The jury convicted Taylor of assault with a dangerous weapon and eluding; the district court sentenced him to 15 years with a 3-year mandatory minimum.
On appeal Taylor challenged (1) sufficiency of evidence to prove specific intent to assault and (2) ineffective assistance for failure to impeach officers with prior testimony; he also filed a pro se supplemental brief raising unrelated claims.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Sufficiency of evidence of specific intent to assault a peace officer	State: officers’ testimony and dash-cam videos support an inference Taylor intended to injure or place the officer in fear	Taylor: he was fleeing; conduct at most reckless, not intentional assault	Affirmed — substantial evidence supported inference of specific intent; jury could credit officers and video evidence
Ineffective assistance for not impeaching officers with prior testimony	State: trial counsel’s cross-examination was competent; prior statements were materially consistent	Taylor: counsel refused to cross-examine officers using deposition/prelim testimony inconsistencies	Affirmed — no breach of duty; record shows no material inconsistencies to impeach
Pro se claims about jail medical care and transcript discrepancies	N/A (not relevant to contesting conviction)	Taylor: alleged medical neglect and transcript discrepancies	Denied — medical claim seeks relief outside appeal; transcript claim undeveloped and not shown prejudicial
Alleged prosecutorial misconduct (barely argued)	N/A	Taylor: listed heading but offered no analysis or authority	Not considered — issue inadequately briefed and waived

State v. Reed, 875 N.W.2d 693 (Iowa 2016) (standard for reviewing sufficiency of the evidence)
State v. Rohm, 609 N.W.2d 504 (Iowa 2000) (definition of substantial evidence and viewing evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict)
State v. Chatterson, 259 N.W.2d 766 (Iowa 1977) (specific intent inferred from facts and natural consequences of intentional acts)
State v. Thorndike, 860 N.W.2d 316 (Iowa 2015) (de novo review for ineffective-assistance claims grounded in the Sixth Amendment)
Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (U.S. 1984) (two-prong test for ineffective assistance: deficient performance and prejudice)
State v. Shanahan, 712 N.W.2d 121 (Iowa 2006) (failure to prove either Strickland prong is fatal)
State v. Palmer, 791 N.W.2d 840 (Iowa 2010) (preservation of ineffective-assistance claims and postconviction relief considerations)
State v. Rice, 543 N.W.2d 884 (Iowa 1996) (competence of defense counsel’s cross-examination and deference to counsel’s tactical choices)
State v. Oldfather, 306 N.W.2d 760 (Iowa 1981) (automobile may be a dangerous weapon when used to indicate intent to inflict serious injury)