Mason City man pleads guilty to arson charges

MASON CITY — A Mason City man has pleaded guilty to arson charges in connection with a pair of fires in September.

The Mason City Police Department says 42-year-old Paige Peyton was arrested  after an investigation. Officers responded to a report of a garage fire in the 200 block of 7th Northeast shortly before 10 o’clock on the night of September 1st. The fire had already been extinguished by the time officers arrived.

Just over an hour later, officers and the fire department responded to the same address for a fire in a vehicle, which was contained to the interior of the car.

Peyton was charged with two counts of second-degree arson, a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years in prison on each charge.

Court records show as part of a plea agreement, Peyton has pleaded guilty to both arson counts, with prosecutors recommending a ten year suspended sentence on both counts along with three years probation to be served at the BeJe Clark Residential Facility.

A formal plea change hearing has been set for October 25th in Cerro Gordo County District Court.