Algona police chief provides details of the capture of Mason City murder suspect

ALGONA — Algona’s police chief says the suspect in a Mason City murder case was arrested after about a three-hour standoff with authorities at a house.

Kendall Pals tells KICD Radio in Spencer that his department was contacted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for assistance after they received information about Benjamin Gonzalez being in Algona.

Pals says they were able to zero in on a possible location, with officers spotting Gonzalez walking in that neighborhood. “When he tried to approach him, which was approximately 1:00 PM, the suspect turned and ran in a northern direction in a residential area. Other officers were also in the area and others joined in. The suspect ran to a residence in the 200 block of North Ridgley Street and ran into a small walk-in door that leads into an attached garage to a residence.”

Pals says an occupant of the residence was outside and was taken away by authorities and a state tactical team was brought in to surround the house.  “The negotiator for the Iowa State Patrol was able to get the individual to come out the front door at approximately 4:00 PM and he was taken into custody at that time.”

Gonzalez was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail at 7:45 Monday night, where he remains on $1 million cash-only bond.