MASON CITY – The Mason city Police Department was notified shortly after midnight on June 26, 2012 about occupants of a vehicle shooting paintballs on the south side of Mason City.
Officers quickly located the vehicle and conducted an investigation.
The officers located several paintball guns inside the vehicle along with four occupants. The occupants were charged with discharging a firearm within city limits, a violation of a city ordinance.
The occupants of the vehicle, all from Mason City, were identified as:
– Zachary Sletten, 18 (pictured)
– Drake Shimon, 20
– Wraymond Todd, 18
– Kory Hogfoss, 19
All were cited and released to appear in court at the conclusion of the investigation.
Discharging a firearm within city limits is a simple misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $625.00 fine.
More information: (12012975) Weapon Violation Reported: 06-26-2012 0001
Officers were notified of a vehicle that contained persons suspected of paint-balling private property in the area. Officer located the vehicle, an investigation was done and four adult males were charged with discharging a firearm within the city limits.
Addresses Involved:
700 block of Federal Av S S, Mason City, IA 50401
Names Involved
(Arrested) ############################# (Age:18)
(Address:) 18133 290 St , Mason City, IA 50401
(Arrested) #################### (Age:20)
(Address:) 319 5 St NW, Mason City, IA 50401
(Arrested) ##################### (Age:19)
(Address:) 194 Grover Av SAPT405, Mason City, IA 50401
(Arrested) ################### (Age:18)
(Address:) 777 Eisenhower Av SLOT150, Mason City, IA 50401
(Complainant) #######################
Wow, who would have thought that four young adults out after midnight, vandalizing other proples property, would get this much support?
Peter-Peter, what would you do to pass the time without this site to pass on your viewpoint. You are interesting and some times entertaining as well as quite often irritating. Have fun.
Peter L.
I don’t disagree that the code needs better clarification, but even if the code is changed today it doesn’t change the code of yesturday. And as the City code is writen now the MCPD charged the 4 subjects correctly. Plus the County Attorney Dalen has no authority over changing any of the Code for Mason City or any other town or city in the county, this is done at a City level.
Peter, California, New Jersey, and New York’s laws have passed judicial muster for defining a paintball under the classification of a weapon due to it’s destructive properties. Same applies to a nail gun. Yes, there are legal cases for same.
As far as SCOTUS, better think again. While BATF does not define a paintgun as a “firearm” SCOTUS would agree with local laws as far as offensive weapons, or weapons with an ability to be destructive and cause bodily injury. There are no Federal Laws precluding or preventing local laws to be established. See Fourteenth Amendment.
Agreed.
I go back to if your underage (say 8 to 14) child is caught being a kid (who knows where or how they got a hold of it but they do) and discharges a PB gun in city limits, should he or she be charged with a firearms charge?
The difference in this case is these folks were using said PB guns in vandalism. Surley our local PD can use multiple charges based on the vandalism.
Yes, it’s a city ordinance. Is a PB gun defined as a “firearm”? By whom? What authority defines it?
41.09 THROWING AND SHOOTING.
It is unlawful for a person to throw stones, bricks or missiles of any kind or to shoot arrows, rubber guns, slingshots, air rifles, BB guns or other dangerous instruments or toys on or into any street, alley, highway, sidewalk, public way, public ground or public building, without written consent of the Council.
You can find link from Clear Lake City website.
8-3-7: DISCHARGE OF FIREARMS:
It shall be unlawful for any person, except federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement officers in the performance of duty or training, to shoot or discharge any firearm or air gun except when authorized and permitted by the chief of police after investigation for the following purposes:
A. The lawful activity of a person or firearm organization upon premises which are safe for said activity and which will not interfere with the peaceful use and enjoyment of adjacent property.
8-3-31: SLINGSHOTS, STONES AND MISSILES:
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw or shoot any missile, dart, shaft, slingshot, stick, stone or ball in such a manner as to hit, injure or endanger any person, window or other property.
You can find the link from Mason City’s website.
so a shopvac on reverse with a golf ball in the hose is considered a firearm in Mason City? Change the law back.
These youngsters and far from adults. 18 year old’s should know right from wrong and be held accountable however they are no way adults yet.
The average age of maturity is 28 years of ages. Some mature faster then others but most people can’t reason properly until around the age of 28.
This incident doesn’t fit the intent of the law. Time for a review of our laws and set the punishment to fit the crime.
Sorry. This is a case of boys will be boys!
If that was my kid, I wouldn’t even claim him.
Its going to be funny seeing these guys get hard charges for something like this. Yet on the other side people who seriously assault others are out and still doing it. Its always mixed up when it comes to justice. SMTCF!
Ok so with the whole discharging a firearm and what a firearm my be considered as confuses the heck out of me. I have a hyperdog tennis ball launcher that is literally a large sling-shot that goes on my arm. I can’t use that anymore to exercise my dog with because it’s considered to be discharging a firearm. It’s a bunch of crap if you ask me.
What a picture…talk about your “sloe-eyed knuckle-dragging Neanderthal”…this boy is it! I don’t believe a mother could kiss that puss! It would be nice to get him out of the “gene” pool!
AS a fellow law abiding Paintballer, I would like to point out that without the proper gear. A paintball gun can be damn near lethal. There is a reason we wear specially made masks.. Getting hit in the eye from less than 10 yards without a mask would take out your eye and could cause brain damage if not death.
I would also have to agree that, while paintball guns are not actual “Firearms” they should be treated like one. Trust me when I say that the law knows all too well that a Paintball gun is not a “Firearm” and they don’t care. The increased charges should prevent shit like this from happening.
If they actually fired on a person, the charges should’ve been assault with a deadly weapon..
Its not just paint that can be loaded into these things. Riot forces use what they call “Pepper balls”, or a paintball filled with pepper spray. And thats just the start. In military training they use rubber balls, paintballs and even water balls. A quick search online and you can even buy steel balls for these guns.
Simply freezing regular paintballs could cause them to break skin. No one would know if their frozen either, they would melt too fast, especially in this heat..
There are somedays on the course where I would rather take a bb/pellet gun hit than a paintball..
For those who suffered damages, you have my empathy, but count yourself lucky, it could’ve been a hellofa lot worse.
I personally know Zac. These guys know better. Zac is not a bad kid. He just hangs with the wrong crowd, and they’ll never learn. They should be held responsible for their actions and hopefully the get their act together.
They give people like us a bad rep..
This is a violation of a CITY ORDINANCE. This is not a violation of state code. What the city code and state code classifies a “firearm” are two different things. City ordinance violations don’t go on ones criminal record
Squirt some WD-40 on the spots and it should come right off.
If anything these guys should be charged with more like assault for the guy walking down the street they shot at and vandalism for everyone’s property they were shooting at. The state lumps together airguns and guns so why shouldn’t the city.
@ peter L multiple police reports of them shooting at people and private property here’s one
(12012964) Suspicion Reported: 06-25-2012 2007
Complainant reported that as he was walking, someone from a vehicle fired a paintball gun at him. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate. Special attention was added.
Addresses Involved
5 St SW & Monroe Av S, Mason City, IA 50401
Names Involved
(Complainant) #####################
Officers Involved
(Primary) Officer Friese, Noah
I’ll take a painballed car over a pedo or wanna be gangster living in my neighborhood any day! Since when is a paintball gun considered a firearm?? lol! Maybe criminal mischief if they were shooting at property but definitely not a firearm, geez.
Peter L- I suggest you consult a dictionary before going off on a rant. Here I will help you out Fire’arm’-n. any hand weapon from which a shot is fired by explosive force, as a rifle or pistol. From Websters New Dictionary copyright 2003. Now can you argue that the paintball is not shot with an explosive force? Ex-plo’sive-adj. 1.of, causing, or like an explosion 2.tending to explode.