Dubuque man accused in Mason City sexual abuse case found incompetent to stand trial

MASON CITY — A district court judge has ruled a Dubuque man charged with sexual abuse in Cerro Gordo County is not competent at this time to stand trial.

34-year-old Bennett Gonyier was arrested in July after Mason City police accused him of sexually abusing a child under the age of five at a home in northeastern Mason City sometime between July 2nd and July 6th.

Gonyier’s lawyer filed a motion in July, doubting that the defendant was competent after making statements during a meeting in jail. Gonyier in August was ordered to submit to psychological and psychiatric evaluations at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale.

The evaluation found him to be incompetent to stand trial, with Gonyier being diagnosed with numerous disorders, but the evaluation also concluded that he was amenable to competency restoration treatment.

District Judge Chris Foy during a recent hearing ordered that the case remain suspended indefinitely and that Gonyier be taken to the Cherokee Mental Health Institute for mental health treatment designed to restore his competency.