MASON CITY – This Mason City woman allegedly nearly caused possible unthinkable outcomes for her kids during a drunken clown show in her shiny PT Cruiser, and after cops installed her into an ice cold jail cell to pursue sobriety, her dawg allegedly bit a babysitter’s child, leading to puncture wounds and fresh charges, and when she got out of jail, salty phrases were delivered to the NIT newsroom voicemail.
Mason City’s own Mara Alvarado-Hartzell, a 34-year-old North End mother, festered in the Cerro Gordo county jail from September 2 to September 11, having been charged with first-offense operating while intoxicated and two counts of child endangerment. NIT reported on the alleged incident, very clearly stating the allegations and charges brought by Mason City police, in which witnesses reported to police that Alvarado-Hartzell was allegedly intoxicated and backed out of her North End driveway, with her 7 and 9 year old kids clinging to the hood and passenger door of the car, and she demolished one of their bicycles. Alvarado-Hartzell made bail on September 11 and was released, pending an arraignment hearing scheduled for the afternoon of October 6.
Evidently, as soon as Alvarado-Hartzell was released from jail, she went to straight to NIT to read all about her alleged shenanigans. A call was subsequently placed to the NIT newsroom to deliver a stern warning about reporting on her activities:
Meanwhile, Alvarado-Hartzell was dealing with fresh drama, as she just cannot seem to keep out of trouble. Even as she sat in jail for convincing police she is a menace to the community, she had left her children in the care of of a babysitter. Mason city police tell NIT that during this time, on September 4, 2025, at 11:00 PM, officers were called to Alvarado-Hartzell’s residence in the 600 block of 9th Street NW.
“A friend was watching Mara’s kids and dog while Mara was incarcerated,” police told NIT. “The friend reported her own 6 year old child was bitten on the left forearm by Mara’s dog, a day or more prior to time of report.”
As Alvarado-Hartzell was still in jail, an officer spoke to her there (after the bite was reported) to inquire about her dog’s vaccination status. As a result of the police investigation, Alvarado-Hartzell was then charged with:
- No Rabies Vaccination
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No City Animal License
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Failure to Report Animal bite
“The Failure to Report Animal Bite charge will be dismissed at our request,” police said. “We are a little unsure when the bite occurred. The child had fresh puncture wounds consistent with a dog bite on the left forearm area.”
Police say the dog was impounded for 10 days at the owner’s expense to undergo quarantine for rabies observation. The breed of the dog was not mentioned in the report.