White requests second trial

CLARINDA — Essex's former mayor has requested a new trial after a Page County jury found him guilty of sexual abuse in April.  

Charles White, 66, was scheduled to be sentenced Friday, June 1 on three counts of sexual abuse and one count of lascivious acts with a child.

However, his attorney filed a request for a new trial May 29, in the Page County Courthouse in Clarinda.

A hearing on the new trial request will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 5. Sentencing, which was originally scheduled for Friday, June 1, was scheduled to take place following the new trial hearing.

White remains free on the original $25,000 bond he posted following his arrest on two counts of sexual abuse in March 2011. The third sexual abuse count and lascivious act with a child charge were later added.

White was tried on the four felony charges in April. After the trial started on a Tuesday, the jury deliberated for just a few hours the following Friday, returning guilty verdicts on all four charges.

According to court records, White was accused of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Department of Human Services, the Page County Sheriff's Office, and the Essex and Shenandoah Police Departments investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the Iowa Attorney General's office.

The Red Oak Express will post online at www.redoakexpress.com the outcome of Tuesday's hearing and possible sentencing.