Woman beating felon going to prison

MASON CITY – A convicted felon who brought his aggression to Mason City and beat a woman was sentenced to prison this week in Cerro Gordo county district court.

Following an incident in the city’s Cultural Crescent area on October 21, 2012, Mason City police charged 32-year-old Roy Kenneth Jones, formerly of Spirit Lake, Iowa, with felony domestic abuse involving strangulation. He plead guilty on November 19, 2013, and was sentenced on Monday to five years in prison and $1,658.88 in fines and court costs. He is being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail at this time awaiting transport to prison.

The relatively stiff sentence may be due to the fact that Jones had an especially drama-filled 2013 that involved a swath of charges from Spirit Lake police and at least two guilty pleas.  Police in that city filed felony domestic abuse charges against Jones twice last year in two separate incidents.

Following a May 3, 2013 domestic incident, Jones plead guilty in August but the court amended the domestic assault involving strangulation charge to an aggravated misdemeanor. A five year prison term and fine were suspended and Jones was placed on probation on the condition that he acquire or possess no firearms. A no-contact order on the victim was lifted.

After a July 14, 2013 incident, more serious charges were leveled against Jones, including felony C willful injury; false imprisonment; two counts of child endangerment; domestic abuse assault; and felony domestic abuse involving strangulation (to which he plead guilty). A two year prison term was suspended. A no-contact order on the victim was placed for five years. However, after more than one request to lift the no-contact order, the court agreed that Jones and the victim could communicate orally, in writing, by email; texting and social media… but not in person.