MASON CITY – A man who was confronted by a group of men while arguing with a woman and grabbed a shotgun and pointed it at them was found guilty of two crimes by a jury.
According to reports, two persons made an emergency call after observing and overhearing a male and female arguing in the area of the 700 block of 15th Place NE on July 24, 2014. The couple was confronted and asked if everything was OK. A male subject involved in the argument warned the persons to move on, and there was a verbal exchange. Allegedly, the male subject – 21-year-old Blake Michael Harrer – then ran to a nearby house at 712 15th Place NE and grabbed a shotgun and pointed it at the reporting party, who then called police.
The reporting party – said to be a group of young men – stood by after fleeing the area, to wait for police. Law enforcement arrived and blocked off the vicinity as officers converged on the house with guns drawn. Sgt. Steve Klemmas reported that evening that Harrer was taken into custody and the weapon was recovered.
Harrer was arrested on 3 counts of aggravated assault and 3 counts of 1st degree harassment.
In July, a jury dismissed all three charges of harassment. However, he was found guilty on all three charges of intimidation using a weapon. He was given three 30-day jail sentences to run concurrently and suspended fines. Three no-contact orders were set by a judge.
On September 28, a judge handed down a deferred judgement on a charge of intimidation using a deadly weapon. He was given 5 years of probation, suspended fines, ordered to submit a DNA sample, and assessed $529.10 in court costs.
SUBJECT IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
