OELWEIN – A woman was allegedly threatened with a sword at this rural Northern Iowa location, and cops rushed to the scene to nab a suspect hiding in a basement.
The trouble began on October 1, 2024, at approximately 12:01 PM. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a disturbance on 50th Street, near Oelwein, Iowa. Once officers and deputies arrived on scene, it was learned that 57-year-old Mitchell Ray Langel of Oelwein threated a female victim with a sword. Cops searched, and Langel was then located in the basement of the home where he was arrested without further incident.
Langel was charged with aggravated misdemeanor first-degree harassment, a violation of Iowa code 708.7(2), which states, “A person commits harassment in the first degree when the person commits harassment involving any of the following: (1) A threat to commit a forcible felony.”
Langel and was transported to the Fayette County Jail where he had an initial appearance the next day. He was held on a $2,000 cash-only bond, until weeks later when his bond was reduced. He then entered a not-guilty plea on December 11, 2024. A victim impact statement was submitted to the court, and a court date was set for March 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol and the Oelwein Police Department.