Large police response in Mason City triggered by fake caller

MASON CITY – A large police response in Mason City was triggered by a fake caller Monday evening.

On Monday, July 16, 2018, at 6:37 p.m. Mason City Police responded to a call for assistance to East Park. A female caller reported that she had been assault and was severely injured. Her location was near a path and she needed immediate help. Patrol officers and supervisors responded by completing a thorough search of East Park and the trails that connect to the area.

Based on some additional information that was learned during the call, officers also checked West Park, but were unable to locate the caller. Additional public safety agencies assisted with searching for the caller at both locations.

Based on information that we continued to receive, officers continued the search until dark. They also put out a request for help from the public that resulted in no calls or leads. Further investigation revealed that several law enforcement agencies in Iowa had received a nearly identical call at some point on Monday, July 16.

Mason City Chief of Police Jeff Brinkley said this morning, “It is important for the public to know that our response to this incident consumed significant public safety resources. Those resources were unavailable for response to other emergencies while they were deployed on this incident. We are continuing to investigate this incident and would ask that anyone with information about it to contact the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636.”

The Mason City Fire Department thanked the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, North Iowa CERT, Iowa State Patrol, and Clear Lake Fire Department for their help in the response to this incident last night.