Mason City man pleads not guilty to causing destruction of over $58,000 worth of items in local home

MASON CITY — A Mason City man arrested after being accused of destroying over $58,000 worth of items in a local home has pleaded not guilty.

A criminal complaint accuses 33-year-old Nicholas Rush of entering a home in the 1100 block of East State Street in the early morning hours of July 31st and destroying household goods, furniture, electronics, appliances, windows, a door and drywall. The estimated cost to repair or replace the items is $58,547.

Rush was charged with one count of first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.

Rush was scheduled to be in court Monday for his arraignment hearing, but court records show he filed a written plea of not guilty on Friday in Cerro Gordo County District Court. His trial is scheduled to start on November 18th.