MASON CITY – A Mason City man who drove up to his burning apartment house only to be arrested for operating while intoxicated was able to evade that charge.
On Friday afternoon, November 27, 2015, just before 3 PM, a fire was reported at 321 East State Street which caused serious damage to the building there. Firefighters doused the structure with water as smoke poured from the windows. As police and firefighters continued to take control of the situation, at 3:50 PM, 40-year-old Jason William Clausen who lived in apartment #1 at the time arrived on the scene. Police then became suspicious of him and after an investigation, Clausen was arrested for first-offense operating while intoxicated.
However, in March of this year, Cerro Gordo county prosecutor Steven Tynan motioned to amend the charge to merely public intoxication. Clausen then entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 2 days in jail and ordered to pay $507.50 in fines and court fees on a $50 per month payment plan. Records show Clausen has made no payments on that balance.
Clausen has also been charged with drunk driving at least twice previously. He beat one charge back in 2005 in which he also assaulted a police officer. A jury found him not guilty of another charge back in 1999. He was convicted of felony second-degree fraudulent practices back in 2013 and has violated his probation in that case at least twice, most recently in September of last year. He is still paying over $5,000 in court costs in that case.
