License suspended for attorney Jennifer Jo Frese of Marshall County

Aug 15, 2023

A Marshall County attorney facing criminal charges has agreed to a suspension of her law license based on a disability.

The Iowa Supreme Court suspended the license of Jennifer Jo Frese, 42, this week for an undefined period. The court’s order indicates Frese consented to a recommendation from the court’s Attorney Disciplinary Board that her license be suspended “due to disability or incapacity preventing her from discharging the professional responsibilities associated with the practice of law.”

The court’s order does not indicate the nature of the disability.

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In June, Frese was charged with fifth-degree criminal mischief for allegedly uprooting flowers from a pot at an undisclosed office building in Marshalltown. She also was ticketed for trespassing.

On July 13, Frese was arrested and charged with the felony offense of second-degree criminal mischief. A police officer’s arrest report indicates that on July 11, a truck parked near a Marshalltown law office had been vandalized.

The vehicle’s hood and windshield had been heavily damaged. Nearby on the ground there was large, broken picture frame. Frese had recently moved her belongings out of the victim’s law office and one of the items she had taken with her was the picture frame, which had contained an attorney’s stamp collection, police allege. According to the police report, Frese admitted being near the law office sometime the morning of the incident.

Earlier this month, Frese was charged with third-degree harassment after being accused of sending several text messages and photos to an unidentified individual’s personal cell phone. According to police, the messages ― which are not described in the police report ― were “intended to cause the victim both annoyance and alarm.”

Frese has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Citing a conflict of interest due to each case involving attorneys and law firms with which his office has regular dealings, Marshall County Attorney Jordan Gaffney recently asked the court to appoint Grundy County Attorney Erika Allen as special prosecutor in all of the proceedings. A judge has agreed to that request.

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Frese may file a petition with the Iowa Supreme Court to dissolve or modify the license-suspension order upon a showing by clear and convincing evidence that her disability or incapacity has been removed and she is fully qualified to resume the practice of law.

Find this story atIowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:[email protected].