Area Man Held in Jail, Because of Ed Thomas Law

A Chickasaw County man, the subject of a brief standoff, remains in jail after authorities invoked the relatively new Ed Thomas law.

The Chickasaw County Sheriff received an emergency call at about 9:30am Tuesday, to a home in Fredericksburg.

35 year old Landon Riley and 35 year old Mindy Riley were involved in a domestic dispute.

When officers arrived at their home, Landon refused to cooperate, which precipitated into a short standoff.

Landon later surrendered without further incident, and was transported to a Mason City hospital.

Landon was released from the hospital on Wednesday, however due to the Ed Thomas law, healthcare workers contacted the sheriff's office, notifying them of his status.
Landon was then arrested on charges of second degree kidnapping, and is being held in the Chickasaw County jail in New Hampton.

The Ed Thomas law, named for the late Aplington-Parkersburg High School coach, went into effect five years ago. It requires that health care workers contact law enforcement before discharging a patient brought in by police if a warrant or charges are pending.

Thomas was killed by a former student, Mark Becker, in 2009, after Becker was released from a Waterloo hospital. Charges against Becker had been pending at the time. Becker is serving a life sentence for 1st degree murder.