MASON CITY – Are you missing some items, perhaps stolen from you? Police say they have seized a van “full of tools and other items” and arrested a suspect in connection with crimes in the Mason City area.
Mason City police tell NIT that on February 6, 2016 at 6:40 PM, a suspected shoplifting was reported at Family Dollar, 1510 North Federal. The suspect left in a van and a description of the vehicle was given to police. Police contacted the registered owner who was not in possession of the vehicle. Police say itt is not clear if the vehicle was loaned to the suspect or if it was used without permission.
The next day, on February 7, 2016, at 4:12 PM, suspicious activity was reported in Plymouth, Iowa, involving a male and female in the same vehicle (a van) involved in the theft incident from the day before. The reporting party apparently scared them off and they drove away.
A Mason City police officer stopped the van as it was entering Mason City near 12th and California Avenue. A Cerro Gordo deputy assisted at the scene and arrested Brady Hunt for Possession of Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (as NIT reported Monday). The female driver has not been charged at this time. MCPD officers continued to investigate the prior-day’s incident and soon suspected additional stolen property may be in the vehicle.
Police say that the van was full of tools and other items that were not inside it the day before, according to the owner. MCPD officers seized the contents at this time and are checking to see if those items are connected to ongoing theft investigations in the area.
People are urged to check sheds and outbuildings in Mason City and the surrounding area to see if they may be missing any items. MCPD second shift officers are currently working this case related to the original Family Dollar shoplifting and the seizure of the vehicle contents. Citizens who feel they may be a victim of theft should call 641-421-3644.
