MASON CITY — A suspected drunk driver who allegedly refused police orders to get out of his Toyota RAV 4 was physically removed by Mason City officers and hauled to jail, where authorities say another suspected controlled substance was discovered tucked inside his wallet.
Jose Julian Granados Gomez, 24, is now facing eight charges stemming from the early-morning traffic stop — including allegedly driving without a valid license and failing to provide proof of insurance, two violations for which Mason City police had already cited him earlier this year.
Mason City Police Chief Mike McKelvey told NIT that an officer stopped a Toyota RAV4 near 8th Street and South Federal Avenue at 1:12 a.m. Sunday, August 23, because the vehicle’s taillamps were not working or illuminated.
Granados Gomez (pictured at top) was the only person inside the SUV.
“Officers suspected alcohol impairment,” Chief McKelvey told NIT.
The encounter then became more contentious.
McKelvey said Granados Gomez refused to get out of the vehicle after officers instructed him to exit.
“Officers then removed Granados from the vehicle and placed him under arrest for Interference with Official Acts,” McKelvey said.
Police continued their investigation and filed an array of additional allegations.
Granados Gomez was charged with first-offense operating while intoxicated, first-offense possession of marijuana, first-offense possession of methamphetamine, no valid driver’s license, failure to provide proof of financial liability and improper rear lamps.
The trouble allegedly followed him into the Cerro Gordo County Jail.
McKelvey said that while Granados Gomez was being booked, authorities discovered an additional suspected controlled-substance packet inside his wallet.
That discovery resulted in a charge of conveying contraband on or into the grounds of a correctional facility.
The Mason City Police Department’s call-for-service record classified the original incident as an intoxicated-driver call and traffic stop.
The charges listed against Granados Gomez are:
Operating while intoxicated, first offense
Possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, first offense
Possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, first offense
Conveying contraband on or into the grounds of a correctional facility, no weapon
Interference with official acts, no injury or damage
No valid driver’s license
Failure to provide proof of financial liability
Improper rear lamps
SAME LICENSE AND INSURANCE VIOLATIONS EARLIER THIS YEAR
The allegations that Granados Gomez was again behind the wheel without a valid driver’s license and without proof of financial liability come after a previous encounter with Mason City police for those same violations earlier this year.
Iowa court records show Mason City police cited Granados Gomez on January 11, 2026, for no valid driver’s license.
He later pleaded guilty to the scheduled violation on January 28.
Granados Gomez was assessed a $260 fine, $55 in court costs and a $39 surcharge, for a total of $354. Court records show the full amount was paid.
A notice of that conviction was also sent to the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Court records show Granados Gomez was also cited by Mason City police that same day for failure to provide proof of financial liability.
He pleaded guilty to that scheduled violation as well on January 28.
For the insurance-related offense, Granados Gomez was assessed a $325 fine, $55 in court costs and a $48.75 surcharge, for a total of $428.75. Court records show that amount was also paid in full.
That means Sunday’s arrest came roughly seven months after Granados Gomez had already been cited and convicted in Mason City for both driving without a valid license and failing to provide proof of financial liability.
JAILED ON EIGHT CHARGES
Granados Gomez was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail at 3:25 a.m. on August 23.
Jail records listed a $10,000 cash or surety bond in connection with his charges, while several of the remaining allegations were listed as carrying no separate bond or referring to other charges.
The arrest adds to a string of recent impaired-driving cases handled by North Iowa law enforcement. NIT recently reported on another early-morning Mason City OWI arrest in which police allegedly discovered an open alcoholic beverage and suspicious powdery residue after stopping a driver.
The allegations stemming from the August 23 arrest have not been proven in court. Granados Gomez is presumed innocent of those charges unless and until proven guilty.