MASON CITY – NIT earlier reported that the Mason City Library had to be closed today due threats, and according to new details, the male patron left a trail of despair in town before high-tailing to a bus station.
According to new details to our earlier report of the Mason City Library being forced to close today, the situation was worse than initially thought. NIT had reached out to Library Director Mary Markwalter for further explanation on the incident, and she told NIT:
“There was a patron who was being aggressive and abusive with staff and patrons. Based on staff reports I closed the library at 10 this morning in order to avoid escalation of the patron’s behavior. The police scanner reported that this afternoon the patron tried to assault an elderly man at the Manor and he threatened to slit throats of some elderly women at the Manor. Then he ran towards the downtown bus station.”
The Manor is a a large senior-living center located just blocks from the library. Seniors sit outside on benches most days when the weather permits.
NIT hasn’t yet heard back from police, and whether or not they are seeking to make contact with the clearly-troubled and possibly-dangerous individual who is behind today’s mayhem.
UPDATE:
This evening, NIT was given an update from Mason City Chief of Police Jeff Brinkley:
“I can’t comment on the closure. I don’t know how that decision was made. I can tell you that we took a report today from MCPL staff regarding an incident that happened on December 21. We were able to identify the person involved, who was experiencing some mental health issues. We have issued him a no trespass order for MCPL. I don’t have any information at the moment on the content of the threats.”
Still no details on the name of the individual involved in these incidents.