Spirit Lake, IA (KICD)– Testimony in the alleged 3rd degree sexual abuse case in Dickinson County went faster than expected, and both sides are done after only two days of testimony. It was previously expected to take up to five days.

The prosecution rested before noon Monday. The primary witnesses were the now 16-year-old girl making the accusations against her bus driver and Deputy Sheriff Scott Gries who conducted the investigation and filed charges in February of 2020. You can read more about their testimony and cross-examination in previously posted stories from the trial.

After lunch, Defense attorneys Chris Sandy and Alexandria Celli Smith ran through a number of witnesses in short succession: A current 6th grader testified that the accuser would often ask children on the bus for food, and says she showed other children a news account of the case and laughed, even though she said during her testimony Friday that she hadn’t.

A former boyfriend (not the 18 year old she had dated when she was 15) said to his knowledge the girl never talked about home problems with Titterington, but then was reminded under oath that he had previously called Titterington’s “therapist” in a deposition.

Three employees of Okoboji High School were called to the stand.  Two recounting past examples of lying.

The final witness of the day was the mother of two young children on the bus route. She said she knows they were the first ones on the bus in the morning and the last ones dropped off in the afternoon despite the girl claiming she was first and last. She said neither she, her children, nor her husband was ever interviewed by law enforcement officials as part of the investigation.

The defense rested precisely at 3pm. Judge Carl J. Pedersen dismissed court for the day, saying both sides will give closing arguments at 8:30 Tuesday morning and the case will go to the jury.