Court cancels suppression hearing as Nyanjenga pleads guilty

By Seth Boyes,

Friday, November 15, 2024 9:03 am

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Court documents indicate a Decorah teen has pleaded guilty in a case stemming from several instances of local vandalism in September of 2023 — some of which were initially noted as hate crimes. 

An attorney for 19-year-old Caeden Philip Andrew Nyanjenga previously argued law enforcement illegally obtained evidence against the teen during the execution of a search warrant last year — specifically a hooded sweatshirt law enforcement saw the teen unload from a dryer during the search. An officer asked Nyanjenga to hand him the sweatshirt at that time and ultimately seized the shirt as evidence, which the teen’s defense attorney claimed was a violation of Nyanjenga’s right to have counsel present during questioning, his right to avoid self-incrimination and his protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The Decorah Police Department was initially informed on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, that Decorah Lutheran Church had been vandalized at some point overnight. The responding officer learned additional vandalism had also taken place uphill at the neighboring Decorah United Church of Christ — court documents described the vandalism there as more extensive.

Full article available in the November 14 Decorah Leader.

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