Preliminary hearing Friday for Mason City man charged with animal neglect

MASON CITY — The preliminary hearing is set for Friday for a Mason City man living in a minivan with 28 cats who was charged with animal neglect.

64-year-old Andres Guilartes Martinez was charged after Mason City police executed a search warrant on the minivan found on August 26th in the 700 block of 6th Southwest with Guilartes Martinez apparently sleeping inside the vehicle with numerous cats spotted. A complaint was filed with authorities three days earlier about a van near the intersection of 1st and North Monroe with about 15 to 30 cats living in it, with a possible lack of food and water and odor coming from the vehicle.

A criminal complaint states that one of the cats seized appeared to be seriously injured while another appeared to have a non-serious injury. Both of those cats were taken for medical treatment.

Guilartes Martinez was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail on charges of animal neglect with serious injury; animal neglect with injury; animal neglect with no injury; and three rabies vaccination violations. He’s being held on a total of $2000 bond.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 Friday in Cerro Gordo County court.