MASON CITY – A Rockwell man who has had no less than 50 criminal cases brought against him by local law enforcement, one of which resulted in a death of a Mason City teen, has again escaped a potential jail sentence as a result of plea bargaining and a lax sentence by District Court Judge Colleen D. Weiland.
In the latest criminal charge Timothy Charles Cassady, age 37, was charged by Rockwell police with a Class D felony count of 2nd Degree Criminal Mischief for causing $1609.47 in damages to a vehicle he vandalized. The vandalism occurred on May 9th in Rockwell, with Cassady evading law enforcement for weeks before being captured in late May.
As part of a plea agreement between the County Attorney’s Office and Cassady’s public defender the original felony charge of 2nd Degree Criminal Mischief filed by law enforcement was amended on application to an aggravated misdemeanor charge of 3rd Degree Criminal Mischief. 3rd Degree Criminal Mischief according to Iowa Code is reserved for crimes involving less than $1,000 in property damage.
Despite the definitions under Iowa Code, Judge Colleen D. Weiland ordered the charge reduced at a hearing on Thursday, October 8th. At the hearing Cassady entered a voluntary negotiated guilty plea to the reduced charge. Cassady waived his right to wait to be sentenced at a later date.
Judge Colleen D. Weiland then sentenced Cassady to a two year suspended prison sentence and another two years of probation with the Iowa Department of Corrections despite a history of repeated probation violations. Judge Weiland also suspended a minimum $625 fine for the offense, ordering Cassidy to pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $1609.47. Cassady must repay $366 in court costs, lawyer fees, and surcharges in the case.
During court Judge Colleen D. Weiland also dismissed an aggravated misdemeanor count of Driving While Barred Habitual Offender from an arrest by a Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s deputy in July.
It is unclear rather the victim’s restitution will take precedence to the tens of thousands in unpaid court fines, restitution, lawyer fees, and court costs Cassady has racked up over the last decade.
Cassady is no stranger to the court system and obtaining plea bargains to lessor charges in his 50 plus court cases.
In May of 2002 Cassady, then age 26, bought the liquor Everclear for 17-year-old John Nauss and his 14-year-old younger brother. As a result John Nauss died in drowning in the Winnebago River after consuming the Everclear Timothy Cassady had provided.
In that case Cassady was able to plea bargain the original Class D felony charge of Supplying Alcohol to a Minor Resulting in Death down to a serious misdemeanor count of Supplying Alcohol to a Minor. Then County Attorney Paul Martin recommended a one-year jail sentence for Cassady. Instead Judge James Drew (retained in the Nov 6th elections) denied Martin’s request and imposed a $1500 fine instead. Over a decade later Cassady still owes $5360.75 in the case.
Cassady’s criminal record is far too extensive to cover in one news article. Despite all his criminal activity he was once again allowed to plea bargain to lessor charges and once again receives a suspended prison sentence in a disturbing trend in Cerro Gordo County criminal cases.
SUBJECT IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
