State of Iowa v. Rachel Elizabeth Whiteside

── State of Iowa v. Rachel Elizabeth Whiteside ── Court: Court of Appeals of Iowa Date: April 29, 2026 Category: General IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF IOWA _______________ No. 25-1061 Filed April 29, 2026 _______________ State of Iowa, Plaintiff–Appellee, v. Rachel Elizabeth Whiteside, Defendant–Appellant. _______________ Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, The Honorable Paul D. Scott, Judge. _______________ AFFIRMED _______________ Peter J. Ickes of Grefe & Sidney, P.L.C., Des Moines, attorney for appellant. Brenna Bird, Attorney General, and Louis S. Sloven, Assistant Attorney General, attorneys for appellee. _______________ Considered without oral argument by Ahlers, P.J., and Buller and Sandy, JJ. Opinion by Sandy, J. 1 SANDY, Judge. After pleading guilty to multiple counts arising from multiple acts of sexual exploitation, Rachel Whiteside challenges the district court’s decision to impose consecutive sentences. But since the court grounded its decision in the separate and serious nature of each offense, the harm to the victim, and the need to protect the public, its proper exercise of sentencing discretion is not one we second-guess on appeal. Accordingly, we affirm. BACKGROUND FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY Whiteside was charged in Polk County with multiple counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee arising from her relationship with a student while employed as a teacher in the Ankeny Community School District. The conduct at issue began in 2015 when Whiteside was twenty-six years old and the student was fifteen. The relationship involved Whiteside’s repeated sexual contact with the student and continued over an extended period of time. The case came to light years afterwards, following a report to authorities. Investigators obtained evidence corroborating the relationship, including records of communications between Whiteside and the student. Whiteside ultimately admitted that her conduct constituted a pattern, practice, or scheme of sexual conduct with the student for the purpose of sexual gratification. The State charged Whiteside by trial information with multiple felony counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee, as well as a felony count of child victim coerced by a person in authority. She later entered a written guilty plea to four counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee— pattern, practice, or scheme of conduct, each a class “D” felony in violation 2 of Iowa Code section 709.15 (2015 as to count II, 2016 as to counts III, IV, and VII). The district court accepted the plea after finding it was knowing, voluntary, and supported by a factual basis. Under the plea agreement, the parties were free to argue for differing sentences within agreed parameters. Whiteside could argue for no less than a sentence of a ten-year indeterminate term of incarceration, while the State could argue for up to a twenty-year term of incarceration. The matter proceeded to a contested sentencing hearing. Prior to sentencing, the court received and reviewed a presentence investigation report. Whiteside also submitted materials in mitigation, including letters of support and a psychological evaluation. The evaluation addressed Whiteside’s mental health, risk of reoffending, and insight into her conduct. At the sentencing hearing, the court heard from counsel, Whiteside, and the victim, who provided a statement describing the impact of Whiteside’s acts. Following the hearing, the dis