Storm Lake, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) — An Alta man is free after a judge cleared him of all charges in a child sex abuse trial that rocked Buena Vista County.
District Court Judge Duane Hoffmeyer issued a 19-page verdict finding 37-year-old Erik Woods NOT guilty on all five counts – including second degree sexual abuse.
In his ruling, the judge desribed the case as a “he said, she-said” with almost no corroborating evidence. Hoffmeyer pointed to inconcistent testimony from the victime, and creaticized the investigation, noting that no forensive interviewer ever took the stand.
Woods is an Austrailian National who moved to Iowa after meeting his wife in an online chatroom. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he is currently unemployed, and is expected to ask the court for financial relief towards his legal fees.
