Bond reduction request for Mason City murder suspect denied

MASON CITY — A request for a reduction in bail for a Mason City murder suspect has been denied.

38-year-old Benjamin Gonzalez is accused of the shooting death of 36-year-old Michael Creviston on the night of March 31st in the area of 3rd Northwest and North Jefferson. A criminal complaint states that Gonzalez fired a handgun with pre-meditation at Creviston, striking him fatally in the torso. Gonzalez was arrested the following Monday after a standoff with authorities in Algona and has been held since that time in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on $1 million cash-only bond.

Defense attorney Parker Thirnbeck requested that the court lower the bond for his client, but in a ruling issued on Tuesday, District Judge James Drew denied that motion, saying that due to the nature of the allegations, the bond previously set is appropriate and shall continue.

A trial date for Gonzalez has not yet been set but he has waived his right to a speedy trial.