MASON CITY – A Mason City man has been sent to a state prison for writing bad checks for a car and lottery tickets.
On May 27, 2016, a person reported to Mason City police that he had recently sold a vehicle to 36-year-old Andrew Lukes. The seller went to the bank that day and found that the $10,000 check Lukes had allegedly written to purchase the car was from a closed account.
Officers began looking for Lukes who currently had an arrest warrant for Probation Revocation / Violation in connection to charge of 2nd Degree Theft. At approximately 10:24 AM that morning, the investigating officer found the car parked near 2nd Street and South Jefferson. The officer then observed Lukes exit a residence at 113 South Jefferson. Lukes allegedly ran back inside when he saw the uniformed officer.
Additional Mason City police officers and Cerro Gordo sheriff’s deputies arrived to contain Lukes while speaking to the female resident. Lukes was eventually arrested from inside the residence. The car was returned to the owner. Lukes was arrested on the Probation Violation warrant and charged with a new charge of 2nd Degree Theft reference the $10,000 check written on a closed bank account.
On October 3, Lukes was sentenced to 2 years in prison after a guilty plea. He must also pay $1,250.35 in fines and court fees. He was then eventually shipped to the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility.
On November 23, the Hancock county attorney’s office announced that Lukes has also been sentenced to a term of incarceration of up to 5 years on the offense of lottery fraud (purchasing lottery tickets with bad checks).
