MASON CITY – This Mason City woman took a motley road trip on the wild side, in the beginning slamming her Taurus into a pickup and then the dirt of a cemetery before she went home sweet home to shout at the devil over her legal woes.
Mason City police confirm they were called to a hit and run property damage collision in the 1200 block of South Washington Avenue at 5:03 PM on Monday, January 20, 2025. The caller also told cops that the fleeing vehicle had entered Elmwood Cemetery and struck a headstone, Chief of Police Jeff Brinkley told NIT.
When officers arrived to survey the incident, they found 43-year-old Amber Rae Motley inside of a silver 2011 Ford Taurus, crashed in Elmwood Cemetery. The Taurus had been disabled after it struck a headstone. Prior to entering the cemetery and hitting the headstone, Motley had run into the back of a pick-up truck on Washington Avenue, but fled the scene.
During the subsequent investigation, Motley (pictured at top) was placed under arrest for the following alleged crimes:
– OWI 3rd Offense, a class D felony as she has two prior OWI convictions
– Driving while license suspended
– Failure to show proof of liability – accident-related
– Failure to maintain control
– Leaving the scene of an accident
– Striking fixtures upon a highway
Motley’s Taurus was towed from the scene.
Motley was transported to the Cerro Gordo County Jail and booked in at 5:55 PM. Records show that despite a felony charge, she was quickly released from jail. She now awaits a preliminary hearing set for the afternoon of February 10.
Records show Motley is convicted felon in Wright county for forgery and theft. She was charged with felony drunk driving in Wright county back in 2023. However, she escaped a felony conviction with a plea deal to second-offense operating while intoxicated. She was ordered to jail for seven days and to pay Iowa courts $2156.25 – but so far has paid only $50.00, records show.