MASON CITY — A large overnight brawl outside a Mason City bar left at least two people with injuries to their faces and heads, brought emergency medical crews to the scene and led to five arrests early Monday, November 9, 2026, as police investigated reports that people were struck with a club or bat-type weapon.
Mason City Police Chief Mike McKelvey said officers were dispatched at approximately 12:17 a.m. to a disturbance outside the Sidewinder Lounge, 810 South Pennsylvania Avenue. Witnesses began telling responding officers that at least two people had been struck in the face or head with a club or bat-like weapon.
Mason City Fire Department medics assisted injured people at the scene. McKelvey said at least two appeared to have injuries to their head and face, but he did not know how many people, if any, were transported to Mercy Hospital.
Five men were arrested in connection with the police response. Four face disorderly conduct charges under Iowa Code section 723.4(1)(a), which addresses fighting or violent behavior. The fifth faces a first-offense operating while intoxicated charge.
Charles Bullock III, 19, of Lumberton, Mississippi, was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Cory Graham, 26, of Columbia, Mississippi, was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Jared Grouette, 37, of Mason City, was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Jacob Fesko, 38, of Mason City, was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Brandon McSwain, 24, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was arrested on a first-offense OWI charge. McKelvey said McSwain had been driving a 2015 GMC Sierra bearing Mississippi license plates.
The Mason City police activity log identifies the case as MC2604059. The initial 12:17 a.m. call was logged as SO2642770, a disorderly disturbance or fight at the South Pennsylvania Avenue address.
Police have not identified which individuals, if any, were responsible for the reported club-or-bat strikes. The disorderly conduct arrests alone do not establish that any arrested person used a weapon or caused the reported injuries.
McKelvey said the investigation is complicated by the number of people involved and conflicting accounts of what happened.
“Police are still trying to sort out what happened,” McKelvey told NorthIowaToday.com.
“Between the alcohol, conflicting stories, underaged person in the bar, injuries, size of the brawl and people present, and some other issues, this may take a few days to work through,” the chief said.
McKelvey did not say whether the underage person had consumed alcohol, participated in the fight or committed any offense. Police have not announced any related liquor-law charges.
The three Mississippi residents among the five men arrested raise questions about what led to the gathering, but police have not publicly identified any relationship among the men or established what started the fight.
Grouette, one of the two Mason City residents arrested, previously appeared in NorthIowaToday.com reporting involving a domestic assault case about a decade ago.
In August 2016, NIT reported that a Mason City man had been arrested for a fourth time in connection with a domestic assault case involving Grouette.
Other coverage from that period included a report about a seven-day jail sentence and an earlier report about two arrests connected to a domestic incident.
Those older incidents are unrelated to Monday’s bar disturbance and do not establish any wrongdoing in the current case.
The police chief has not identified the people who sustained injuries or disclosed whether any of the five arrested men received medical treatment.
Investigators also have not said whether the fighting began inside or outside the bar or whether additional charges could result from the allegations involving a club or bat.
With witness accounts still being reviewed, police say it may take several days to establish the sequence of events and determine what happened during the confrontation.
All five arrested individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. NorthIowaToday.com will follow additional developments in the investigation.
