Reelection Announcement

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks is announcing that he intends to run for reelection to the position in the November 2026 election. Maybanks has been a prosecutor with the Linn County Attorney’s Office for over 25 years, served as First Assistant for 12 years and has been County Attorney since being appointed in January 2022 and elected in November 2022. Prior to becoming County Attorney, Maybanks prosecuted some of the most high-profile cases in Linn County, including the murder of Michelle Martinko and Latasha Roundtree, and has continued to do so since taking the helm. Maybanks continues to try cases as the County Attorney. Since becoming County Attorney, he has prosecuted, among other cases, the back-to-back murders committed by Kazius Childress in January of 2022, the attempted murders of peace officers by Stanley Donahue and Brandon Nelson, the slaying of Myron Snyder, the young Door Dash driver and Boys Club volunteer, and the three men that brutally conspired to and killed 20 year-old Melody Hoffman. 

Maybanks cites the success of his office in consistently securing convictions in homicide & high-profile violent crimes as a reflection of his commitment to public safety and the strong partnership his office has with law enforcement agencies that he brought to the position and that has strengthened since he assumed the role of County Attorney. The County Attorney’s Office has successfully prosecuted over 20 homicide-related cases in the last two years alone by trial or guilty plea. Maybanks points to recent awards won by two of his assistants, First Assistant Linn County Attorney Monica Slaughter (Staff Attorney Award of Merit from the Iowa County Attorney’s Association) and Molly Edwards (Governor’s Outstanding Anti-Human Trafficking Service Award), as evidence of the talent and statewide notoriety of his team of prosecutors. The Linn County Attorney’s Office successfully prosecuted the first Human Trafficking of a Minor case in the State under the new law making it punishable by a life sentence.

Maybanks also wants to continue to assure the criminal justice system is fair to victims, noting how he sounded the alarm for sex abuse victims and through collaboration with the court sought to expedite trials of sexual abuse cases that were languishing in that system for multiple years. The protocol implemented by the courts as a result has led to a 63% increase in resolution of cases in 2025 compared to the previous two years.

Maybanks credits an approach to prosecution that is “tough, but smart,” for a wide decrease in some of the most serious crimes in 2025. Based on a three-year average starting in 2022 when he become County Attorney, he cites statistics that show that firearms prosecutions are down 7.6%, sex abuse cases are down 27.5%, robbery cases are down 59%, homicide (and attempted homicide) cases are down 22.8%, and eluding offenses are down 7%. Maybanks believes that the commitment by his team to be an office of “trial attorneys”, has contributed to these decreasing rates of crime, asserting that nobody can reasonably accuse his prosecutors of being quick to reach “plea bargains”. Maybanks proudly heralds the fact that the Linn County Attorney’s Office has taken more than four times as many cases to jury trial as they did four years ago.

When he announced his run for office in 2022, Maybanks indicated he would seek to fill a position in the office dedicated solely to rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into society. Maybanks made his case to county leaders and secured an additional felony prosecutor, using the funds to create the position of a Rehabilitation Prosecutor, the first and only of its kind in the State of Iowa, dedicated solely to offenders particularly suitable for rehabilitation. By directing these offenders to the Rehabilitation Prosecutor’s caseload, this has allowed the other felony prosecutors to focus on and drive down violent crime, making Linn County safer for its citizens.

Protecting the most vulnerable children, victims and families has always been a priority for Maybanks over his long career. Maybanks and the prosecutors in his office have went beyond the walls of the courthouse to fight for vulnerable victims by drafting and lobbying for laws that close loopholes for offenders who prey on older children, allow for stiffer prosecution of domestic abuse offenders and increase penalties for those who recklessly endanger the public by eluding police. Maybanks also takes great pride in the Juvenile Division of his office, who staunchly fights to remove kids from dangerous homes keeping the system accountable to those vulnerable kids.

Maybanks also likes to remind people that the work of his office is not limited strictly to criminal and juvenile court, touting the Civil Division of his office that has tirelessly provided sound legal guidance to county leaders. The attorneys in the Civil Division have assisted leaders in exploring and implementing new and complex initiatives that have benefited our citizens. These efforts include developing solar energy, nuclear energy and data center ordinances that will foster economic development for Linn County for future generations in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Finally, after adding a cutting edge, cloud-based case management software system that allowed the office to go paperless, more efficiently litigate their cases and adding physical space to the office, he used budgeted costs savings to add AI-assisted research technology, while expanding, not cutting, staff & services;

Maybanks looks forward to another four years building on the accomplishments of his office, driving down violent crime, expanding specialty courts and diversion programs for low-level offenders and ensuring positive outcomes for all the citizens of Linn County.

Areas I want to address in the future:

• Explore more specialty courts and diversion for certain low-level property and drug offenders;
• Expand staff in the area of Victim-Witness and add more prosecutors;
• Broaden community involvement as resources allow;
• Investigate whether we should establish a Special Victims Unit where a select team of prosecutors work exclusively on Sexual Abuse and Domestic Abuse cases;
• Further modernize the services we provide.

We’ve maintained strong relationships with our community partners and have been active in our community and across the State, here’s just a few examples of what our office does and is doing;

• Founding member of the Gun Violence Intervention Project now known as Stand Up Peace –
• Attorneys who sit on the Boards of:
  • Advisory Committee for Children’s Justice;
  • Foundation II;
  • Iowa Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers;
  • Iowa Child Protection Council;
  • ICAA Legislative Committee;
  • Child Protection Center;
• Attorneys who train;
  • All legal education for the CR Police Academy & updates for LE departments;
  • Waypoint, Riverview Center, SART, CPC;
  • Attorneys at conferences across the state;

Mission Statement of the Linn County Attorney’s Office

To vigilantly, honorably and sensibly prosecute the laws of the State of Iowa in order to ensure the safety, health and well-being and maintain the highest standard of living for the citizens of Linn County

To achieve the most optimal outcomes for all the cases in which we represent the State of Iowa or Linn County that further the broader interests of justice for our community.

To provide steady and sound legal guidance to the elected officials and leaders of Linn County.

To vigorously safeguard the welfare of vulnerable children in order to secure for them a bright and prosperous future.

Update from the Linn County Attorney’s Office: (Condensed)

Over the past four years, our team’s accomplishments and the reputation of our office can be summarized into Five Main Areas:

1. Securing Convictions in Homicide & High-Profile Violent Crimes;
2. Creating a culture of being Tough and Smart on Crime;
3. Protecting Vulnerable Children & Families;
4. Navigating Leaders through Challenging Issues;
5. Economizing and Modernizing the County Attorney’s Office.

Securing Convictions in Homicide & High-Profile Violent Crimes

We have consistently obtained convictions in the most serious and high profile crimes by partnering with law enforcement to bring the strongest cases to trial:

• Just looking at the last 2 calendar years, we’ve swept the table with 21 high-profile homicide convictions either by trial or guilty plea;
  • In that same time period, the number of times we failed to get a homicide conviction: 
  • We have not “lost” a homicide case since I became County Attorney.

Our office has fought on behalf of sex abuse victims by bringing sex offenders to justice more quickly through collaboration with the court to expedite trials.

• When I saw that SA Cases were languishing for years on our dockets, I brought data to the Court and we collaborated on a new CMC protocol;
• Since implementing it, we’ve seen a 55% increase in resolution of cases in 8 months;
• In calendar year 2025, we saw a 63% increase in resolution of cases compared to the previous two years.

Being Tough And Smart on Crime

Since 2022, we have overseen efforts that have driven down violent crime

Based on year-end stats for 2025, based on a three year average:

• Firearms offenses are down 7.6%;
• Sex Abuse cases are down 27.5%;
• Robbery cases are down 59%;
• Homicide (and attempted homicide) cases are down 17.4%
• Eluding offenses are down 7%;

We’ve done this by being an office of trial attorneys, nobody can reasonably accuse our prosecutors of being quick to reach “plea bargains”:

We stand our ground to demand outcomes that deter crime, including taking more cases to trial than ever:

Based on Fiscal Year stats, we’ve quadrupled the number of case we take to trial since FY2022:

• FY2022: 10
• FY2025: Projected: 46

But we’re not only be appropriately tough, we’re being smart:

We created a first in its kind position of rehabilitation prosecutor for those offenders primed for rehabilitation allowing other prosecutors to focus on violent and victim-based crime

Our team is THE BEST in the State:

• See the recent awards given to Monica Slaughter for Assistant County Attorney of the Year in the State of Iowa and Molly Edwards for the Governor’s Award for Anti-Trafficking;

Protecting Vulnerable Children & Families;

Our Juvenile Division continues to fight vigorously on behalf of endangered children, sometime even going above the DHHS to take action;

Along with our service on the previously mentioned boards, we have proposed legislation that is NOW LAW in the areas of child sexual abuse and domestic abuse – we see gaps and we DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Navigating Leaders Through Challenging Issues

Our team in the Civil Division tirelessly provides sound legal guidance to our county leaders to assist them in exploring and implementing new and complex initiatives benefiting our citizens – some of those areas include:

• Solar Energy Ordinances & Policy;
• Nuclear Energy Ordinances & Policy;
• Economic Development;
• Data Center Ordinances & Policy;

Economizing & Modernizing the County Attorney’s Office

Added a cutting edge, cloud-based case management software system that allowed us to go paperless, more efficiently litigate our cases, add space to our office and expand staff & services;

Added AI-assisted research technology without sacrificing staff

Conclusion:

Look forward to another four years building on our accomplishments, driving down violent crime, and ensuring positive outcomes for the citizens of Linn County.

Areas I want to address in the future:

• Explore more specialty courts and diversion for certain low-level property and drug offenders;
• Expand staff in the area of Victim-Witness & our Civil Department;
• Broaden community involvement as resources allow;
• Investigate whether we should establish a Special Victims Unit where a select team of prosecutors work exclusively on Sexual Abuse and Domestic Abuse cases;
• Further modernize the services we provide.

We’ve maintained strong relationships with our community partners and have been active in our community and across the State, here’s just a few examples of what our office does and is doing;

• Founding member of the Gun Violence Intervention Project now known as Stand Up Peace –
• Attorneys who sit on the Boards of:
  • Advisory Committee for Children’s Justice;
  • Foundation II;
  • Iowa Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers;
  • Iowa Child Protection Council;
  • ICAA Legislative Committee;
  • Child Protection Center;
  • Attorneys who train;
  • All legal education for the CR Police Academy & updates for LE departments;
  • Waypoint, Riverview Center, SART, CPC;
  • Attorneys at conferences across the state;

Mission Statement of the Linn County Attorney’s Office

To vigilantly, honorably and sensibly prosecute the laws of the State of Iowa in order to ensure the safety, health and well-being and maintain the highest standard of living for the citizens of Linn County

To achieve the most optimal outcomes for all the cases in which we represent the State of Iowa or Linn County that further the broader interests of justice for our community.

To provide steady and sound legal guidance to the elected officials and leaders of Linn County.

To vigorously safeguard the welfare of vulnerable children in order to secure for them a bright and prosperous future.