CRIME

CHARLES CITY — A man from Mexico was arrested Friday night after Charles City police responded to a reported harassment incident.

A Minnesota man publicly accused by Northern Iowa police of traveling across state lines to meet a juvenile for sexual activity is no longer facing Iowa criminal charges after prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss the case.

A convicted Northern Iowa felon caught with large quantities of methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition during repeated high-speed police pursuits has been sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison.

MASON CITY — A Mason City man is facing a child endangerment charge after police say he repeatedly struck a disabled child with a belt, causing bodily injury.

WATERLOO — An early Sunday morning shooting in Waterloo has turned into a homicide investigation after police found a man suffering from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle in a west-side parking lot.

MASON CITY — An early-morning disturbance at a Mason City apartment house ended with a man arrested for allegedly assaulting a person protected under Iowa law, interfering with official acts and public intoxication.

MASON CITY — A man whose name became widely known across Northern Iowa during a sensational child-murder trial more than a decade ago is back in the Cerro Gordo County Jail, this time accused of domestic abuse assault and interfering with police.

A Northern Iowa woman who swiped bags of empty beer cans from a local bar and cashed them in at a redemption center wound up owing a whopping $710.71 — far more than the cans were worth.

WASHINGTON — A former reality television dancer from Latvia who allegedly overstayed his visa and accumulated a violent criminal history in California has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal officials announced.

“This illegal alien from Latvia may have once had a career as a professional dancer on TV, but has turned into a career criminal with a rap sheet that includes aggravated assault with a gun, sexual battery, and drug possession,” a Homeland Security spokeswoman said.

CLEAR LAKE — A 41-year-old traveler accused of speeding through Clear Lake well above the posted limit was arrested by police and booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail on a series of criminal and traffic charges.

WAVERLY — A convicted Northern Iowa sex offender is being held on $100,000 bond after police accused him of committing a sex act against a child while knowing the act would be photographed, filmed or otherwise preserved.

DES MOINES — Federal fugitive hunters joined Iowa law enforcement officers for an aggressive four-day sweep that put 61 wanted suspects behind bars and cleared 97 felony arrest warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service Southern Iowa Fugitive Task Force began planning and identifying targets for “Operation Heatwave” on June 29, 2026. Teams then fanned out across central Iowa from July 21 through July 24.

The operation focused on violent offenders and alleged gang members wanted in connection with crimes including homicide, robbery, sexual assault, aggravated assault, weapons violations and other serious felonies.

CORALVILLE — An Iowa inmate whose sentence began nearly 34 years ago died last week in a prison hospice unit, state corrections officials announced.

MINNEAPOLIS — A convicted felon who took possession of a stolen FBI rifle and silencer during a violent civil disturbance in Minneapolis has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison.

Raul Gutierrez Jr., 33, of Inver Grove Heights, was sentenced Monday, July 27, 2026, by U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim for being a felon in possession of firearms.

According to federal court documents, Gutierrez participated in a violent disturbance in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, 2026, when he and others broke into a vehicle belonging to the FBI.

SAC CITY, IOWA — A late-night domestic assault investigation that began June 30, 2026, in Sac City has escalated into a first-degree kidnapping case carrying the most serious felony classification available under Iowa law.

A man accused of domestic abuse allegedly returned to the victim’s residence just hours after leaving jail with a court order directing him to stay away, triggering a second arrest and landing an alleged accomplice behind bars.

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.

OSAGE — An Osage man faces four criminal charges after police arrested him early Saturday morning in connection with an alleged domestic assault involving a weapon.

MASON CITY — A 21-year-old Mason City woman allegedly drove intoxicated with a young relative inside her vehicle before wandering off the roadway and striking a mailbox – and now faces serious charges.