Category: Crime

MASON CITY — A Mason City woman was arrested at the courthouse after police accused her of a felony crime of trying to influence what a witness might say in an ongoing court case.

MASON CITY — A Mason City man who already has a drunk-driving conviction on his record is facing another OWI prosecution after police allegedly found signs of alcohol use and an open container during a midnight traffic stop.

CHARLES CITY — A Northern Iowa woman wanted on three Floyd County warrants was nabbed by Charles City police late at night, and officers say the arrest may now lead to additional drug charges after narcotics were seized.

A 911 hang-up call sent Fayette County deputies to a rural Northern Iowa intersection, where an investigation allegedly uncovered a physical domestic altercation and led to an arrest.

CLERMONT — A Northern Iowa woman was arrested after a traffic stop in Clermont allegedly revealed she had been driving while intoxicated.

SIOUX CITY — A Northern Iowa man investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and Charles City Police Department has been sentenced to 7½ years in federal prison after authorities found more than 1.6 million images of child pornography across 20 electronic devices.

Scott Devries, 57, of Hardy, was sentenced Thursday, September 11, 2026, by U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 90 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

A Northern Iowa man is facing a felony drunken-driving charge after a Fayette County deputy allegedly found his pickup truck sitting in a ditch during the middle of the night.

CHARLES CITY — A Northern Iowa construction truck driver struck a train at a Charles City railroad crossing and later pleaded guilty to failing to properly stop, just days after another traffic case against him was resolved in Mason City.

SIOUX CITY — A Fort Dodge felon who admitted selling two revolvers and synthetic marijuana to a person cooperating with law enforcement will spend nearly five years in federal prison.

MASON CITY — The courtroom battle surrounding a Mason City couple accused of showing and distributing explicit photographs without permission is still raging months later, with one defendant moving toward a possible plea and the other preparing for an October jury trial.

The legal turmoil adds another messy chapter to a relationship that appears to be on the rocks. Court records show both Christina Jo Dodge and Matthew Alan Dodge (pictured at top in jail phortos) have previously sought domestic-abuse protection from the other.

MASON CITY — One of two Mason City women accused of financially exploiting a dependent adult has been convicted through a plea agreement, while her co-defendant remains charged with three felonies and is scheduled for an October trial.

A woman suspect was hauled to jail after police raided a Northern Iowa residence Tuesday night and allegedly uncovered methamphetamine, marijuana, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia.

A Northern Iowa man who avoided a lengthy prison term earlier this year is back behind bars after allegedly strangling and injuring a woman during a domestic disturbance.

ROLFE — A Northern Iowa man facing a felony methamphetamine charge after an early-morning traffic stop has made his initial court appearance and is scheduled to return to court later this month.

The Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Office said deputies stopped a maroon Ford F-150 at approximately 3:32 AM on August 31 in the 700 block of Grant Street in Rolfe.

MASON CITY — After felony drunk-driving convictions in two North Iowa counties, a five-year prison sentence, repeated probation violations and years of court intervention aimed at keeping her from driving impaired, Amber Ann Ward is accused of getting behind the wheel and doing it again.

Ward, 41, was nabbed by the Iowa State Patrol on Sunday, September 6, and booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail at 1:01 p.m. Her latest booking photo shows her smiling proudly, but the criminal history behind that image is considerably more serious: Ward has previously been convicted of felony third-or-subsequent OWI offenses in both Floyd and Cerro Gordo counties, has been convicted of driving while barred, has repeatedly violated probation and has previously been sent to prison.

MASON CITY — A convicted felon whose probation was revoked and suspended prison sentence ordered imposed last year is back behind bars after a suspicious-person call in Mason City.

A Northern Iowa man has been arrested on an OWI charge nearly two months after authorities were called to a trail where a man was found lying on the ground next to a golf cart.

CEDAR RAPIDS — A repeat Northern Iowa child sex offender who has already served federal prison time is headed toward another stiff sentence after a Mason City police investigation uncovered dozens of videos and images of children being sexually abused on his phone.

WATERLOO — A 19-year-old Waterloo man has been arrested following an investigation into gunfire that struck an occupied home Sunday morning.

MASON CITY — A Cerro Gordo County slammer dweller who battled law enforcement, drove drunk, tried to outrun police and escaped a Class B felony burglary conviction through a plea deal has paid nearly $28,000 for his mounting legal troubles—and he is not finished yet.

Keith James Ingersoll (pictured at top), 37, is back in the Cerro Gordo County Jail as he awaits sentencing for assault with intent to commit sexual abuse.

MASON CITY — A Mason City man was jailed Saturday afternoon after police responded to a disturbance on the city’s southeast side and accused him of interfering with officers and assaulting a person in a protected occupation.

Mason City police were called at 3:17 p.m. August 30 to 1319 South Virginia Avenue for a disorderly disturbance, fight or out-of-control person.

An Iowa man was airlifted to a hospital after he was struck by an unknown vehicle while walking along a rural road, and authorities say the driver fled without stopping.

CLEAR LAKE, IOWA — Theodore “Ted” Hartz Christensen, 84, of Clear Lake, a longtime Iowa educator and coach whose passion for learning continued throughout his life, passed away peacefully Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Oakwood Care Center.

Per Ted’s wishes, cremation has taken place. Services will be announced at a later date.

MASON CITY — A convicted meth felon with a staggering rap sheet littered with cases far from Mason City was shipped into local supervision at the worthless Beje Clark criminal haven for the hopeless — and now Mason City police allege she brought fresh poison into the community.

An Iowa man who secretly planted miniature cameras inside portable toilets at youth sporting events and other public gatherings has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after admitting to child exploitation crimes.

Federal prosecutors revealed that Tyler Pavlick had placed miniature video cameras in the tanks of porta-potties at three separate events…

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Waterloo man who used machining equipment to convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machine guns has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison.

Nicholas Laurence Wilson, 35, of Waterloo, was sentenced August 20 to 12 months and one day in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to one count of possession of machine guns.

Federal prosecutors said Wilson machined three semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic weapons inside his home.

MASON CITY — An injured woman was rescued from a Mason City apartment Wednesday night after police say a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history allegedly assaulted her, violated a protective order and held her against her will before refusing to surrender to law enforcement.

The situation became serious enough that police issued a precautionary shelter-in-place order to nearby residents before the Special Operations Group went into the apartment and took the suspect into custody.

Three “from” Algona are jailed on $100,000 cash bonds after a frightening Northern Iowa incident in which police say a woman was assaulted inside her home, her two young children were forcibly taken and the suspects threatened to kill the children if she contacted law enforcement.

Police were told that several people had entered the residence, assaulted the woman and forcibly removed her 4-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.

Both children suffered minor injuries during the incident, police said.

A convicted felon allegedly found passed out in a vehicle at a Northern Iowa park was hauled to jail after deputies say they discovered methamphetamine and a stolen firearm, then investigators raided a remote residence just hours later and brought another felony gun charge.

MASON CITY — A convicted lottery-ticket thief was nabbed pedaling through a closed Mason City park in the middle of the night, and police say he didn’t go quietly.

Mason City police encountered 45-year-old Jeffery Allen Dahle Jr. during a bicycle stop at 3:14 a.m. on August 23, 2026, near 802 3rd Street NE, an address located inside East Park…

FOREST CITY — A Forest City man who originally faced two Class B felony sexual abuse charges is headed to state prison after reaching a plea agreement and receiving a 10-year sentence Tuesday.

James Allan Schaumberg, 60, was sentenced August 25, 2026, in Iowa District Court following his conviction for lascivious acts with a child — fondle or touch child, a Class C felony.

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.

An Iowa man accused of robbing a bank at gunpoint was quickly tracked down and taken into custody Monday morning after law enforcement officers spotted the suspected getaway vehicle heading north out of Muscatine.