A man barricaded himself in his house after a domestic situation with his wife, sometime after 4 p.m. Thursday night on Mason City’s north end. Police were called and weapons were drawn as neighbors looked on. This just two days after a man was gunned down a few blocks away at a Casey’s convenience store.
William Odell of 1514 North Madison Avenue was arrested Thursday evening after a standoff with police.
Police at the scene were tight lipped about the arrest. One officer said “It was a domestic.”
Neighbors told NorthIowaToday.com that a SWAT team showed up and drew high-powered weapons and pointed them at the house, which is a rental owned by Randy Rodriguez. A sniper lined up a shot from a nearby alley just in case.
One man said, “I told my wife to come check it out, the sniper sneaking up the alley. I was a marine, I used to do that a long time ago.” The sniper was right outside the man’s house.
Another man told a NorthIowaToday.com reporter that “It started as a domestic problem between a husband and wife, that led into a hostage situation. He let one girl go, but kept the rest of his family and himself in the house at gun point.”
It was said Odell had a wife and two kids.
Neighbors who had been watching the scene unfold went on to say that the stand off lasted over two hours, and that police finally went in a back door and brought Odell out with his hands raised.
Police remained on the scene after the arrest, and seemed to be going through the house. A woman and two young children seemed to come out of a house directly south of 1514 North Madison once things calmed down.
A few minutes later, police that were on the scene tried to help bystanders catch a chinchilla that had gotten loose from a nearby home. It remained at large as of 10:30 p.m. Police called it in to animal control.
Odell was charged with:
– 724.26 POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY FELON
– 708.2A (2C) ASSAULT/DOMESTIC/AGGRAVATED
