by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – A Mason City man who is listed as an instructor at Ellsworth Community College has been arrested in connection with the beating of another Mason City man.
Greg Allan Hodak, 46, was arrested on April 6, 2012 and charged with willful injury (708.4(1)), a class C felony.
Hodak is accused of assaulting 52 year-old Mike Harrer on the evening of September 17th, 2011 at Spike’s Bar, 18 7th Street SE.
Witnesses contacted NIT over the weekend regarding the assault of Harrer. One man said that Harrer “was beaten nearly to death. He had seven broken ribs and two broken eye sockets.”
Mason City Police Chief Mike Lashbrook confirmed that Harrer’s injuries were “significant.” The police report states that the victim was “severely injured.” Harrer spent nearly seven days in the Mercy Intensive Care unit, the witnesses said.
Lashbrook could not comment on other pending elements of the case, nor could he comment on why the arrest took seven months after the alleged incident took place. The investigation is on-going.
Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen could not comment on the case. His office has referred the case to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office due to a conflict of interest.
Hodak is being represented by Mason City Attorney Tim LaPointe.
More on this story as details are released and confirmed.
Photo from www.iowavalley.cc.ia.us
SUBJECT IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen is basically admitting he can’t be unbiased in this case even though he swore an oath. 7 months to bring charges for injuries this serious is ridiculous. This man must have friends and influence. Matt covered his arse unlike other stories.
See? There is little justice in our so called justice system. It’s all about who knows who.
I don’t believe this crybaby stuff. I’ve known both these pussies for a long, long time. You can even bring ol Newman sidekick Tim Lapoint in to the picture(who’s a damn good guy,..FYI). Fact remains,..ol smart-ass with no friends to back him this time got his ass kicked by a younger pussie…LMFAO. Time to shed some tears for ol Harrer bear. Who in the hell couldn’t beat Hodak? Pathetic at best. Puff-n-Stuff lives on! Rock for Gingivitus.
NOT GUILTY ON ALL FIVE CHARGES AMEN TO THAT
Not guilty does not equate with Justice. What were the circumstances of this verdict? Harrer, the pen is mightier than the sword. Take this perpetrator to civil court. You have less to prove and the financial liability is there. I have not seen where the perpetrator claimed to have not “done it”. Seek your medical bills and pain and suffering Harrer. This perpetrator may have eluded the criminal court but the civil court is a much more difficult task. Just ask O.J. or those who eluded vehicular homicide charges. The civil court and damages makes the point of liability and accountability for one’s actions evident.
NOT GUILTY ON ALL FIVE CHARGES JUSTICE DONE
“When there is a conflict of interest (relationships with LE or DA) in a situation like this you need to be even more careful of how you handle it which could easily result in a mistrial.”
Watcher, very well put!
Defending one’s self is acceptable to to the degree that one walks away from a violent situation. However, with the extent of the injuries the insistance that it was in self-defense is hard to uphold
I’m shocked! I thought Hodak only abused women. Yep that right, he abuses women! The kid who thinks this act of violence is “ok” needs to learn the facts, he obviously does NOT know the real Mr. Hodak!! Do your homework before you jump to defend him!
I read a lot of comments claiming self defense, not one said what hodak was defending himself from. Was there a wepon that has not yet been reported? Was Hodak defending himself from words? Did Hodak not have a car to leave? if he was so scared he should have left. Did somebody “make” Hodak stay and suffer abuse from this man?
I hope the people defending Hodak are young and have not learned how the real world works. You see responsible adults do not get into bar fights, for any reason!!
I’m sure Mr Harrer has already filed a lawsuit to sue Hodak for everything he has. Hodak will lose job, house, car maybe the shirt off his back, but boy did he “hold his ground”.
Hodak may not go to jail like he should but he will be in bankruptcy court for sure!!
I know for a fact that Mr. Hodak physically abused his ex wife. I have also witnessed his dangerous fits of anger. I for one think any man who can terrorize a women has serious issues.
I keep reading.”look up the record of the victim and you will see” that’s not totally the case. Because someone has a record makes it okay to put them in icu? No it doesn’t. Well I guess when hodak is convicted he will have a record too. If down the road he gets his ass kicked you people can say “well he has a record and he deserved it” how ridiculous. Sounds like something coming out of a piggy officers mouth
Looking at both records, all I see is a DUI, a few speeding tickets, and a safty violation on Mr. Harrer’s, Hodak’s was about the same. The only real difference between the two seems to be the DUI on Mr. Harrer’s record. Check it out for yourself on Iowa Courts on line. Did I miss something or is the person saying “Check his record” trying to paint a less than honest picture of Mr. Harrer?
I sure won’t be buying a drink at Spikes! Sounds like that place draws some bad actors. Good place to stay away from.
The real cowards in this story are those of you who are defending “thugs” such as the “offended” in this situation. They are the ones who start fights, look for fights, try to intimidate people, and when something happens to them, they are all of a sudden the people who are the “victims”. Get a clue to reality people. Check the record of the “offended” over the years. Not a pretty sight. One of the “offended” just got arrested AGAIN!!!!!!!!
Sounds like two bad eggs got together. One payed for it on the bar floor and the other needs to pay for it behind bars.
There are ALWAYS three sides to every story. Mr. Harrer’s, Mr. Hodak’s, and the TRUTH somewhere in the middle.
Dear Mr. Concerned…I’m sure you wouldn’t have done anything if you were threatened by someone. You would have let the “offended” party and his buddies with a record a mile long take it to you. I’m sure you would not have defended yourself whatsoever.
I know the story of what took place at the hospital, Mr. Hodak did not assault the father. When the father didn’t shake Mr. Hodak’s hand, Mr. Hodak cornered the father in the room at the hospital threatening to take the father outside and put him in the hospital. Unfortunately this took place in front of the child and the child’s mother who accidentally injured the child. Later that night a van like the one driven by Mr. Hodak pulled up to the mailbox at the fathers residence and fired six rounds into the mailbox. It was also alleged that Mr. Hodak showed the weapon used in the attack to the five year old child at a later date, after the mother of the child moved the child into the home of Mr. Hodak. My point here is that I hardly see how refusing to shake someones hand could possibly be a threat or warrent such an act of terriorism if it was Mr. Hodak that shot the mailbox.
I hear he likes to try to get in fights at the hospital with the fathers of children that were injured by thier mother. Then later enjoys shooting up the mailbox of the childs father. This guy is a violent thug.
A long time behind bars for him. Self defense ends when the attack ends, if there was an attack.
It’s obvious that some of the posters here are the ones who have been “offended” in this or those who are friends of the “offended”. For those who are uninformed, this was not an act of violence. Rather, it was complete self-defense. The “offended” party was the perpetrator of this incident and has been known for years around the city to be an instigator. When one is threatened, the immediate reaction is to defend yourself before you become the victim. That was the case in this incident. Look at the track record of the “offended” individual in this case and his buddies he was with the night this happened. Maybe your picture will become clearer.
The courageous thing to do was walk away. The fact that Hodack “took it to him” tells me he is a coward. A brave man would have walked away with honor.
The Harrer fellow is wrong also, but not to the degree Mr. Hodack is.
Mr. Hodack will deserve his prison time for his actions. There is absolutely no justification for his actions.
Whoever is trying to defend this Hodack is loony!
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND!
Can’t imagine Hodak was still defending himself after the first broken eye socket. The charge suggests that he attracted when unprovoked or without just cause.
Sounds like Mr. Harrer finally bit off more than he could chew when HE started this one. Good luck to Mr. Hodak. Even a misdemeanor against him would be too harsh of a charge in this situation. It IS what is IS…. Self Defense.
Until all of the facts are revealed, judgment should not be passed on Hodak nor anyone else in this case. The above report is laced with bias against Hodak, but like mentioned previously by another reader, this was not a random act of violence committed by Hodak. He was not the aggressor and had the right to defend himself. Check previous criminal record(s),personal and professional character, as well commitment to country and community of all parties involved.
Would this be the clean record Greg Hodak that doesn’t get pulled over for drunk driving or searched for drugs? Is this the one that it takes seven months to arrest for a fellony charge? Is this the one that KIMT and the Globe Gazzett have yet to report on? Tell me, why did he not show up on North Iowa Mug shots? Even this story has not been posted by them, I’m sure they are aware of it. The stories around his have been posted on their page. Seems a bit strange, like he’s had some kind of protection most of his life.
It’s difficult to believe that in the wake of State vs Arron Dietrich, that Hodak would be allowed to walk our streets again any time soon. Hodak from my understanding did much more than break his victims nose. Hodak having family members in law enforcement in our area and the length of time it took to arrest him stinks to high heaven. I sincerely hope they don’t just give him a slap on the hand.
Do you mean the first State v. Aaron Dietrich, where he killed the guy, or the State v. Aaron Dietrich, after he got a second chance to straighten up?
all you people know is the information reported in this new file, stop making inferences, drawing conclusions, and making verdicts. leave it to the judges and the lawyers who have all the facts, and evidence to prove the case. THANKS.
Remember, he has to pass by a judge here yet. 10 bucks says he gets his charge reduced to a misdemeanor and gets probation or a suspended sentence.
…and if judge Weiland gets the case, he’ll get no punishment.
I have seen this man become violent and out of control in an unrelated incident. Good to see some one’s finally going to put him away.
too bad you guys don’t know the full story or him. learn your stuff.
So, what is it about him or what did his victim do to warrant such an act? You seem to be suggesting that his act of violence is somehow “ok”. Please do inform us how your like for him can make the rest of us feel better about him and what he did to another member of our community.
this is my explanation for you. the fact that his acts were based on self defense, I’d consider them “ok”. the man that Hodak put in the hospital made the first move, it wasn’t just some random act of violence. its the other guy’s fault for picking a fight with someone who could obviously hold his ground. once again, get your stories straight and learn the facts.
You claim Hodak’s acts were “self defense”, that “the other guy made the first move”, and “the other guy’s fault” for picking a fight with someone who could “obviously hold his ground”.
Since you said he picked a fight with someone who could “obviously hold his ground”, was it so obvious that it might have taken just 1 punch to knock him down, and maybe 1 shove to get him to back off? Or maybe 1 punch and 2 kicks? Does it really take 2 broken eye sockets and 7 broken ribs for someone who can “obviously hold his ground” to defend himself against this other guy long enough for the cops to come?
I’m guessing that after about the first broken eye socket and oh, about the first 3 broken ribs, the other guy would have backed off, and now it was all Hodak punching and kicking and the other guy was trying to defend HIMSELF. If Hodak would have stopped, his story of “self defense” might be more believable. But when you continue to hit and kick a guy that is down long enough to put him in the ICU for 7 days, he is damn lucky he didn’t get an attempted murder charge!!
50 miles…see how the system works now? No where does it say the city attorney had anything to do with this case.
OR THAT HES RELATED TO A SHERIFF MIGHT HAVE SOME EFFECT
Actually there was a reference to it:
“Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen could not comment on the case. His office has referred the case to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office due to a conflict of interest.”
When there is a conflict of interest (relationships with LE or DA) in a situation like this you need to be even more careful of how you handle it which could easily result in a mistrial.
COMMENT REMOVED … threats are not allowed here.
COMMENT REMOVED … threats are not allowed here.