State of Iowa v. Ray Myron Rice Jr. - Criminal Conviction Appeal

Iowa Court of Appeals

Filed March 11th, 2026

Detected March 11th, 2026

Summary

The Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed Ray Myron Rice Jr.'s conviction for domestic-abuse assault but vacated part of his sentence related to a no-contact order. The court remanded the case for correction of the no-contact order, specifically regarding findings of 'intimate partner' status and a firearm prohibition based on that finding.

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What changed

The Iowa Court of Appeals has issued an opinion in the case of State of Iowa v. Ray Myron Rice Jr. (Case No. 24-1531). The court affirmed Rice's conviction for domestic-abuse assault while using or displaying a dangerous weapon, finding sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict. However, the court vacated a portion of his sentence concerning a no-contact order. Specifically, the 'intimate partner' finding and the subsequent firearm prohibition based on that finding were vacated due to a lack of factual basis.

The case is remanded to the district court for the entry of a corrected no-contact order. This ruling primarily impacts the specific case of Ray Myron Rice Jr. and the procedural aspects of his sentencing and no-contact order. For legal professionals and courts, this serves as a reminder of the importance of factual basis for no-contact order provisions and the potential for appellate review of sentencing details, particularly concerning findings of intimate partner status and related prohibitions.

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Main Content

Case No. 24-1531

State of Iowa

v.
Ray Myron Rice Jr.

Appellee

State of Iowa

Appellant

Ray Myron Rice Jr.

Attorney for the Appellee

David Banta, Assistant Attorney General

Attorney for the Appellant

Karmen R. Anderson

Court of Appeals

Court of Appeals Opinion

Opinion Number:

24-1531

Date Published:

Mar 11, 2026

Summary

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, The Honorable David Nelmark, Judge. CONVICTION AFFIRMED, SENTENCE VACATED IN PART, AND CASE REMANDED. Considered without oral argument by Schumacher, P.J., and Badding and Langholz, JJ. Opinion by Langholz, J. (8 pages)

Ray Rice Jr. appeals his conviction for domestic-abuse assault while using or displaying a dangerous weapon, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s verdict. He also appeals his sentence, challenging a provision in a no-contact order that found he and his mother were “intimate partners” and another prohibiting him from possessing a firearm based on that finding. OPINION HOLDS: Because substantial evidence supports the jury’s verdict, we affirm Rice’s conviction. And we accept the parties’ agreement that there is no factual basis for the intimate-partner finding. So we vacate the no-contact order’s intimate-partner finding and its firearm prohibition based on that finding and remand for the district court to enter a corrected no-contact order.