Not guilty pleas from Mason City man accused of child endangerment after van crash

MASON CITY — A Mason City man charged with child endangerment after a van crash that injured five people, three of them children, has pleaded not guilty.

24-year-old Deairreo Cryer was operating a vehicle that crashed into a ditch in the 1500 block of 12th Northwest on May 2nd, injuring all five occupants. Three of the victims were children between the ages of three and seven years old. All of the injured occupants have been released from the hospital.

Police say test results show that Cryer had a blood alcohol content level of .137 after the crash, well above the legal limit for driving of .08. Cryer was charged with: one count of child endangerment involving serious injury, a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years in prison; and two counts of child endangerment involving bodily injury, a Class D felony punishable by up to five years on each charge.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges this week in Cerro Gordo County District Court, with his trial scheduled for August 27^th.

Cryer continues to be held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on a total of $20,000 bond.