MASON CITY — A violent Iowa felon with a record of arson, burglary, assault, domestic abuse, harassment, theft, fleeing police and repeatedly violating probation allegedly added two more offenses to his criminal résumé during a July 24 encounter with police in Mason City.
Christopher Maurice Kessler, 35, was arrested after Mason City police responded at 7:28 a.m. Friday, July 24, 2026, to a trespassing complaint at an apartment building at 819 North Delaware Avenue.
Police charged Kessler with third-degree criminal mischief for allegedly causing between $750 and $1,500 in damage and first-offense trespassing for allegedly refusing to leave the property.
Kessler was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail at 8:32 a.m. and initially held on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.
Court records show he made his initial appearance later that day and was released on his own recognizance. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for 1:15 p.m. August 3.
Third-degree criminal mischief is an aggravated misdemeanor, while the trespassing accusation is a simple misdemeanor.
The latest case adds another chapter to a criminal record stretching back more than a decade and featuring serious property crimes, violence, dangerous driving and repeated failures to comply with court supervision.
Kessler (pictured at top) pleaded guilty in Polk County in February 2013 to five felony offenses arising from crimes committed in July and August 2012: second-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of third-degree burglary and second-degree theft.
Second-degree arson and first-degree criminal mischief were Class C felonies. Kessler received 10-year prison sentences on each charge.
He also received five-year prison sentences for third-degree burglary and second-degree theft. Court records indicate several of the sentences ran concurrently, while the theft sentence was ordered to run consecutively to the sentences imposed for the other principal offenses.
Kessler received credit for 213 days already served in jail. Five additional allegations accusing him of burglarizing unoccupied motor vehicles were dismissed as part of the 2013 case.
His criminal activity continued after that felony prosecution.
Kessler pleaded guilty in June 2021 to assault with intent to inflict serious injury. A judge imposed a two-year prison sentence, suspended the term and placed him on probation for two years. He was also ordered to obey a no-contact order.
That same day, Kessler pleaded guilty in a separate case to eluding police while driving more than 25 mph over the speed limit and third-degree criminal mischief.
He received two-year suspended prison sentences on both charges. Those sentences were ordered to run concurrently with each other but consecutively to the suspended sentence in the assault case, leaving Kessler facing a combined four years of suspended prison time.
His performance on probation quickly deteriorated.
Court records show Kessler was found in contempt following probation violations in August 2021, November 2021 and January 2022. He received an 18-day jail term after the first violation, a 15-day term after the second and a 180-day jail sentence after the third.
Kessler also pleaded guilty in August 2021 to domestic abuse assault by impeding the flow of air or blood.
A judge imposed and suspended another two-year prison sentence, placed him on probation for two years and ordered him to complete a 24-week domestic abuse intervention program.
More recently, Kessler pleaded guilty in February 2024 to first-degree harassment and second-degree harassment arising from a January 14, 2024, incident.
He received 60-day jail sentences on both charges with credit for time already served. The sentences ran concurrently, and fines totaling $1,285 were suspended.
Kessler now returns to court in Cerro Gordo County as prosecutors pursue the latest allegations stemming from the North Delaware Avenue incident.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.