A man barricaded himself in his house after a domestic situation with his wife, sometime after 4 p.m. Thursday night on Mason City’s north end. Police were called and weapons were drawn as neighbors looked on. This just two days after a man was gunned down a few blocks away.|A man barricaded himself in his house after a domestic situation with his wife, sometime after 4 p.m. Thursday night on Mason City’s north end. Police were called and weapons were drawn as neighbors looked on. This just two days after a man was gunned down a few blocks away at a Casey’s convenience store.
William Odell of 1514 North Madison Avenue was arrested Thursday evening after a standoff with police.
Police at the scene were tight lipped about the arrest. One officer said “It was a domestic.”
Neighbors told NorthIowaToday.com that a SWAT team showed up and drew high-powered weapons and pointed them at the house, which is a rental owned by Randy Rodriguez. A sniper lined up a shot from a nearby alley just in case.
One man said, “I told my wife to come check it out, the sniper sneaking up the alley. I was a marine, I used to do that a long time ago.” The sniper was right outside the man’s house.
Another man told a NorthIowaToday.com reporter that “It started as a domestic problem between a husband and wife, that led into a hostage situation. He let one girl go, but kept the rest of his family and himself in the house at gun point.”
It was said Odell had a wife and two kids.
Neighbors who had been watching the scene unfold went on to say that the stand off lasted over two hours, and that police finally went in a back door and brought Odell out with his hands raised.
Police remained on the scene after the arrest, and seemed to be going through the house. A woman and two young children seemed to come out of a house directly south of 1514 North Madison once things calmed down.
A few minutes later, police that were on the scene tried to help bystanders catch a chinchilla that had gotten loose from a nearby home. It remained at large as of 10:30 p.m. Police called it in to animal control.
Odell was charged with:
– 724.26 POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY FELON
– 708.2A (2C) ASSAULT/DOMESTIC/AGGRAVATED
Subject is innocent until proven guilty.
More information:
Odell was on pre-trial release and under the supervision of the Iowa Department of Corrections following his felony arrest on June 22nd, 2011 for theft in the 2nd degree. The theft charge was a result of Odell being found in possession of stereo equipment from the June 5th, 2011 break in at the Adas Israel Synagogue, 620 N. Adams Ave, Mason City. Trail for that matter is scheduled for September 13th at 1:30pm in Cerro Gordo County District Court.
Iowa court records indicate William Odell was convicted in Floyd County for one count of felony forgery in November 2003. Two other felony forgery charges were dismissed in that case. In October 2004 William Convicted in Blackhawk County of felony identity theft and controlled subsistence violations.
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