MASON CITY – A weary traveler in Mason City with no license plates on his car asked police for help finding a woman at 1:34 AM one recent morning, and when things got dicey, the youth bolted, only to find out stop sticks work wonders.
The incident went down on March 22, 2025. At 1:34 AM that morning, a male flagged down a Mason City police officer driving by in the 900 block of North Monroe Ave. The man claimed to be from Des Moines, and wanted the officer to tell him where a female lived in Mason City. The man believed the female lived nearby.
The officer refused to provide any info and asked why the subject was trying to find the female, and also inquired about his own identity. The male was evasive and aroused the officer’s suspicion… and then more officers responded. As other officers started to arrive, the subject got into his illegally parked 2017 Chevy Trax, that had no license plates, and drove away. Officers tried to stop the car as it left the scene, but the suspect did not yield, and a police pursuit began.
The suspect led several officers from multiple law enforcement agencies on a pursuit through Mason City, going west on Highway 122. One of the officers was able to deploy stop sticks to slow the suspect’s escape. The Trax eventually pulled over and the suspect was taken into custody and identified as 18-year-old Tapblie Dhum.
Dhum (pictured at top) was taken to the Cerro Gordo county jail and booked in at 3:29 AM on March 22, 2025, on the following offenses:
– Eluding, 25 mph over limit
– No proof of insurance
– Fail to obey stop sign and yield right of way
– No valid drivers license
– Interfere with official acts
He remains jailed, awaiting a court appearance.