MASON CITY – A convicted meth dealer battled a former Savage Squad gang member at the infamous Beje Clark halfway house, leading to a trip to prison.
Mason City police were dispatched for inmates fighting at the Beje Clark halfway house, 818 15th Street SW, on March 15, 2017 before midnight. Two inmates incarcerated there as “punishment” were involved in an altercation. Officers arrived and after an investigation, arrested 31-year-old Jonathan Ray Wheeler and 19-year-old Rudy Andrew Huerta.
Mason City police tell NIT that the fight “apparently began over what show to watch on the TV and it allegedly turned physical.”
Both were taken to the county jail on disorderly conduct charges.
As a result of the charges, Wheeler was sent to the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility for 305 days. He was also ordered to pay court costs of about $200.00.
The charge of disorderly conduct against Huerta, however, was dismissed.
Wheeler has been incarcerated in the Beje Clark halfway house a number of times in the past. He’s a convicted meth dealer who was charged with aggravated assault back in 2015.
Huerta was said to be a member of the “Savage Squad,” a small gang-like subculture of teens who harassed, bullied and robbed other teens in Mason City – as described to NIT by one mom. She said back in October of 2014 Huerta and his gang of thugs robbed her son of his lawn mowing money as they terrified him with threats of violence. Huerta was charged with ongoing criminal conduct as part of a criminal network, criminal gang participation and other crimes including robbery. He was given a deferred judgement with probation of 5 years. Back in November of 2016, Huerta dodged a felony willful injury charge last year in true Cerro Gordo county justice and was given a plea bargain to assault causing bodily injury. He violated his probation in connection to his gang activity and robbery and was sent to Beje Clark – leading to his encounter with Wheeler.
