An Iowa judge was arrested on felony charges just one day after voters approved keeping her on the bench, following a crash that killed one pedestrian and seriously injured another. District Associate Judge Lynn Poschner, 45, was arrested November 4th, 2026. She faces charges of homicide by vehicle and serious injury by vehicle, both involving allegations of reckless driving. The collision occurred weeks before Election Day.
The crash happened September 25th on 86th Street north of Aurora Avenue in Urbandale. Police responded around 9:15 p.m. after a vehicle struck two people crossing the street, and both pedestrians were transported to a hospital with serious injuries. The driver remained at the scene. One of those struck, 60-year-old Urbandale resident Jasmira Kadic, died from her injuries October 28th.
Poschner’s name appeared on the November 3rd ballot for a judicial retention vote in Polk County. Unofficial results showed 95,762 votes in favor of keeping her in office and 43,313 against, giving her approximately 68.9% support. Voters were deciding whether the incumbent should remain in her position, with a yes vote supporting retention and a no vote opposing it.
Those election totals were published by SpectrumVote. According to a criminal complaint described in Iowa Public Radio’s reporting, Poschner told police she looked down at her phone and tapped the screen to adjust audio through her vehicle before hitting the pedestrians. She said she didn’t see them. Investigators subsequently examined the phone and found its screen had been on and unlocked around the time of the collision.
Poschner had served on the bench for years before the election. Her Iowa Judicial Branch biography lists her appointment as May 2018 and identifies her position as district associate judge in District 5C, which covers Polk County. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 2003. She graduated from Drake Law School with high honors in 2007 and worked in private practice before becoming a judge.
Libs of TikTok drew attention to the arrest in a post on X, identifying Poschner as a Democrat and emphasizing the timing of her arrest. “She allegedly admitted to police that she had been looking at her phone and did not see the pedestrians,” the account wrote. A 2020 Iowa judicial voting guide also listed her political affiliation as Democrat. Her judicial retention election was nonpartisan.
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The criminal case will be handled outside the local prosecutor’s office. The Des Moines Register reported that Polk County Attorney spokesman Lynn Hicks said the Iowa Attorney General’s Office would prosecute because of a potential conflict of interest for local prosecutors. Judicial Branch spokeswoman Katarina Sostaric also addressed Kadic’s death. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Jasmira Kadic,” she said.
Poschner was released from the Polk County Jail after posting a $15,000 cash bond. The charges remain allegations pending resolution in court. Iowa Public Radio reported that the Judicial Branch said she was taking time off work following the arrest. Her pending juvenile court cases are being reassigned to other judges.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.