Man pleads guilty in Whiteside County sexual assault case – Shaw Local

MORRISON – A former Clinton, Iowa man was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault in connection with a 2023 attack on a Fulton woman.

Branden M. Landry, 32, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Monday in Whiteside County District Court in Morrison, just three weeks before his case was scheduled to go to trial. He was also fined $75 and given credit for 336 days of time served.

According to court records, Landry assaulted the woman, who was an acquaintance, on September 7, 2023. Whiteside County Prosecutor Terry Costello filed sexual assault charges on September 19 and requested that Landry be kept in custody. Landry, who was considered homeless at the time, was arrested on a warrant in Dixon that same day.

Whiteside County Judge James F. Heuerman ruled on Oct. 27 that Landry was mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered treatment. On April 19, the court ruled that Landry was competent to stand trial. A subsequent hearing on April 29 resulted in his continued detention because he poses a danger to the community, according to court documents.

According to court records, Landry, who also formerly lived in Rochelle, has no criminal history in either Whiteside County or Ogle County.