An Iowa Republican urged a judge to consider the character of a man convicted child abuse during the sentencing. Iowa Starting Line obtained a letter state Rep. Shannon Lundgren wrote to the judge ahead of sentencing.
“I am writing this letter as a character witness for Dave Lehmann,” Lundgren wrote the court on July 13, on official House of Representatives letterhead. She described Lehmann as a friendly regular at her family-owned restaurant in Peosta. “… Dave has earned the respect of many in our region through his consistent, positive conduct and community spirit. I am happy to provide this reference based on my direct observations of him over an extended period.”
The Telegraph-Herald first reported that David John Lehmann, 68, of Farley, was convicted at trial in April of lascivious acts with a child. The incident involved the young daughter of a woman Lehmann had lived with in Dyersville. On Aug. 10, a judge sentenced him to an indeterminate 10-year prison term, suspended in favor of five years of probation, and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
It wasn’t the first time a jury had convicted Lehmann of abuse and indecent contact with a child in this case. He was originally charged in 2020 with eight counts, including multiple felonies for sexual abuse and “lascivious acts with a child,” after the daughters of his then-girlfriend told their mother he had touched them inappropriately over several years.
In December 2022, a jury convicted him on the lascivious acts charge, a class C felony. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. But the Iowa Court of Appeals reversed that conviction in October 2024, ruling the trial court had improperly admitted testimony from a fourth daughter and had violated Lehmann’s right to be present during communications between the judge and jury. He was retried and convicted again this year.
In her letter, Lundgren described Lehmann as “consistently friendly, optimistic, polite, and respectful” and pointed to his volunteer work in nearby Epworth.
Iowa Starting Line reached out asking Lundgren for the context of her recommendation for Lehmann, whether she was aware of the nature of his conviction when she wrote it, and why she chose to use her official title and Statehouse letterhead rather than write as a private citizen. She did not respond by press time.
Lundgren represents Iowa House District 65, which includes Peosta, Epworth, Farley, and Dyersville. She is up for reelection in 2026.
