Spirit Lake, IA (KICD)– The second morning of testimony in the sexual abuse case against an Okoboji school employee who is currently on leave featured the Deputy Sheriff who filed the initial charges one year ago.  Scott Gries says he’s been a deputy for the county five years, and this was his first case as the county’s sexual assault research officer.

Defense Attorney Chris Sandy repeated inconsistencies in the accuser’s story brought up during testimony Friday.  He asked why Gries had not pointed out inconsistent statements to him, school officials, and the Centers for Abused children in three separate interviews.  The state objected saying reviewing Friday’s testimony again would create a “quagmire” and bog the case down.  The jury was cleared as both sides argued their case.  Judge Carl J. Petersen sustained the objection saying that all criminal matters come down to the opinion of law enforcement officers on who to believe.  Sandy asked the Deputy why he interviewed some families who rode that school bus and not others, and also why he never considered motives for the girl to have fabricated the story.  And Sandy asked why Gries had access to a body camera, cell phone, and recording equipment, but only recorded one interview during the entire process.

Also called by the Prosecution were: Okoboji Superintendent Todd Abrahamsen who confirmed Steve Titterington was a school employee, and that the bus in question was not equipped with a camera.  A current second grader who says he saw Titterington give the girl money on more than one occasion.  And a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner from Polk and Story Counties who said she had no knowledge of the Dickinson County case, but that in her experience some victims are “groomed” by their eventual predators.

The state rested its case in the morning.  The Defense made a routine request for an acquittal which was summarily dismissed.  The Defense take over in the afternoon.