Mason City man refuses extradition to Minnesota

It’ll be a while before a Mason City man suspected in the murder of a southern Minnesota motel clerk who used to be a schoolteacher in Britt is returned to Minnesota. 46-year-old Roger Morton of Mason City is still in the Cerro Gordo County jail after refusing extradition from Iowa. Morton is accused in the strangulation death of 53-year-old Mary Klatt on May 29th at the AmericInn motel in Blue Earth. Blue Earth police say a DNA sample given to police by Morton matched DNA gathered from the crime scene. The Fairbault County Attorney needs to get a warrant signed by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty before Morton comes back to Minnesota, a process that could take up to a month. Minnesota authorities are concerned with the amount of bail set in Cerro Gordo County. Magistrate John Cherry set Morton’s bail at $32,500 cash bond Saturday morning. Blue Earth police chief Dave Vereide says he’s shocked at the low bail set and is scared that Morton could easily post bail and flee.