MASON CITY – A convicted Mason City domestic abuser made his best offer to a child to satisfy his carnal urges, and after she rejected and turned him in to cops, a judge banished him to a jail cell for a whopping four days.
In March 2024, it was reported to Maso City police that 42-year-old Nathan Belt had contacted a juvenile female he knows. The communication was online, police say, meaning there was likely electronic evidence of a potential crime. It was alleged that Belt propositioned the child for sex in exchange for money. Using extreme wisdom, the child rejected the solicitation(s). The contact was reported to police and an investigation started. Police then requested an arrest warrant for Belt for Prostitution (a Class D Felony). The warrant was approved by a judge.
Police arrested Belt (pictured at top) on the warrant in Mason City on April 19, 2024.
After months of court wrangling and delays, Belt entered a guilty plea to a diminished charge of aggravated misdemeanor prostitution. The victim submitted an impact statement to the court. Judge Adam Sauer handed down come Cerro Gordo county justice on May 21: 365 days in jail with all but four suspended; two years of probation; and a mental health evaluation.
Belt was charged in Mason City in 2018 with domestic abuse with strangulation and later entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of second-offense domestic abuse. The same judge gave him two years in prison and a suspended fine.