MASON CITY – Police in Mason City are seeking witnesses and clues after a “strange” incident in which a woman crashed her car at a high rate of speed.
Today, at approx 11:30 am, a local tow service called police for assistance at 12th and N Illinois Ave. The tow employee reported a person had called and requested a tow for their vehicle. The tow company employee arrived and found this (Picture 1). The tow company then called police for assistance.
Police then contacted the owner, Sherry Ritter, 27, of Mason City, IA. Ritter told police she was on the way to work this morning, lost control of the car, and it went off the road. Further investigation suggests that the vehicle left the roadway northbound at a high rate of speed. The vehicle, a 2005 Ford Freestar, snapped a guide wire to an Allliant Energy pole, as it left the ground, cleared several downed trees and brush and landed several feet out into some standing water just north of 12th and Illinois Ave (Picture 2). No brake or skids marks were located and the undisturbed ground clutter shows the vehicle was airborne. Ritter has been unable to prove that she has valid auto insurance.
Due to the complexity of the situation, Tony’s Tire, Truck, and Auto Center from Clear Lake was contacted for their heavy-duty equipment. Mason City Operations and Maintenance employees assisted by helping direct traffic and sawing the downed trees that the vehicle vaulted before it landed in the swamp. Iowa DNR officials were contacted to come assess the crash site for possible pollution and contamination of the standing water. Alliiant Energy was contacted and responded to assess damage to their wires and pole. Mason City Fire Dept and Building Services employees also assisted briefly at the scene. The vehicle was finally removed and the roadway (picture 3) re-opened for both lanes of traffic at approximately 3 pm.
Citizens with information about a crime are encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-383-0088. Rewards are available.
Traffic charges are pending. If anyone witnessed the crash or knows more information, they are asked to contact the Mason City Police Department. There were no injuries in the incident.
from charles city, thief.
Sounds like she had her kids with her, (5)? I’m thinking there’s a lot more to this story, like why did she leave the scene. Could it border on child endangerment, abuse, neglect. The children always suffer.
how would anyone other than the driver and people in the immediate are know what happened and why should the public help the police do their job? I know the purpose, their point in asking but… these last few months we have seen them drop the ball several times and they expect us to be their eyes and ears? worry about some girl on her phone while driving AFTER THE DRIVE BY situation is dealt with and some urban youth criminal is where he belongs……. Maybe provide the public with answer’s? the pd works for the citizens they arent an authority over us and they should have transparency with the public. what GOOD reason did the charges get dropped against the two people that stabbed a man at Northside Liquor for? Why are those kids that broke into that woman’s home and choked her only getting a few years in prison (they will get out early, by years. the guy that was throwing knives at the police? out of jail already! something wrong with this area, violent criminals get released over and again. people are being arrested for making comments about burning houses down while other people are out here in this town committing real violence and they barely see the jail? just saying it might be nice to see some violent criminals removed from the area, it might be nice to see some meth or heroin dealers removed from the area, by the agency that we expect to do such things as deter and prevent acts of unprovoked senseless violence or people peddling hard core narcotics that are essentially poison.
She ain’t a very good liar.