Mason City man accused of child sex abuse enters Alford plea

MASON CITY — A Mason City man accused of child sexual abuse has entered an Alford plea as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

45-year-old Cleon Mitchell Junior was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail on November 19th on one count of second-degree sexual abuse, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. A criminal complaint states that Mitchell is accused of committing sexual abuse of a child under the age of 13 between January 1st 2023 and July 15th 2024.

Mitchell on Monday filed a written Alford plea to one count of lascivious acts with a child, a Class D felony. With an Alford plea, a person does not admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a likely conviction.

According to the terms of the plea agreement, it’s recommended that Mitchell be sentenced to five years in prison, with any term consecutive to any federal prosecution. A sentencing date was not immediately scheduled.

Mitchell is also facing federal charges of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. A search warrant was conducted at his residence on April 18th, with an indictment stating that a cell phone with pornographic images of a child under the age of 12 was seized.