Mason City man pleads not guilty to robbery

MASON CITY — A Mason City man has pleaded not guilty to a robbery charge.

A criminal complaint says police on September 30th responded to a possible robbery in the 600 block of North Pennsylvania, with a caller stating that he was trying to sell an item and a male subject tried taking it from the caller. Police say the caller was assaulted by the male, with the caller then using his knife to get away from the male. The caller declined medical attention while the male was later taken to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries.

28-year-old Derek Rafael was arrested and charged with second-degree robbery, a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.

Rafael pleaded not guilty last week to the charge. His trial is scheduled to start on December 13th in Cerro Gordo County District Court.