MASON CITY – A Mason City mom accused of leaving her three children in a room smeared with feces will face a February trial in a felony abandonment case.
The incident began this summer. On August 30, 2016, at 12:43 AM, Mason City police officers were dispatched to 151 7th Street SW to do a welfare check on 4 children. Neglect and unsanitary issues were allegedly going on in the house. Officers responded and witnessed a putrid odor while standing outside the house. Officers verified there were 3 young children locked in a small bedroom with little ventilation. The children had allegedly been locked in the room for a long time, apparently without access to a bathroom or anyone changing their diapers. Suspected human feces was evident throughout the small room on the floors and walls. A 4th, youngest child was in a playpen in a different room in the house.
Police say the mother of the children, Alexis Rae Martinez (now 26-years-old), was home and cooperative.
Officers contacted Department of Human Services (DHS) from the scene. DHS employees declined to respond. Officers refused to allow the children to remain there. Officers contacted family relatives and made arrangements to have the children go to a relative’s residence until DHS would get involved and oversee decisions on long-term living arrangements. Police also notified the City rental inspector later that morning. The house was white-tagged at approximately 9:30 AM that same morning due to health and safety issues.
County records show the house is owned by Dan and Jill Nonnweiler.
The investigating officer applied for an arrest warrant for Martinez after completing the investigation and that application was granted by a judge. Martinez was arrested on September 12, 2016 for three counts of Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Person (Class C Felonies) stemming from the incident.
Martinez remained in the Cerro Gordo county jail on $30,000 cash bond (10%) as she awaited a court date. Records show that on September 26, Martinez posted $3,000 cash bond and was released from jail. On October 3, Martinez and her public defender submitted a plea of not-guilty to the three charges of abandonment. She was set for a pre-trial conference (possible plea deal) on November 29 and a jury trial on December 13.
A continuance in the case was granted and new court dates were set. Martinez will now face a jury trial on February 14 and a pre-trial conference on January 31.
