Six days in jail for Mason City woman after pleading guilty to animal neglect

MASON CITY — It’s just under a week in jail for a Mason City woman who pleaded guilty to two counts of animal neglect after dead and sick cats were removed from her house.

The Mason City Police Department executed a search warrant on March 13th at 831 5th Southwest to check on the welfare of several cats after city officials had received several complaints about cats that were not being properly cared for inside the residence. Police say during the search, two dead cats and three cats that were still alive were taken from the residence, but those three cats had to be euthanized later because of health issues.

Luella Scholl was charged with two counts of animal neglect, a serious misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and an $1875 fine. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, she agreed to plead guilty to the charges with prosecutors recommending that she would be sentenced to six days in jail. That’s the sentence Judge Adam Sauer handed down this week by sentencing Scholl to three days in jail and a $315 fine for each charge.