Guilty plea in Mason City trash attack Joseph Upshaw/Cerro Gordo Co. Jail Victim hit in the head with a blunt object. Posted: Apr 7, 2021 1:20 PM Posted By: Mike Bunge MASON CITY, Iowa – A man accused of attacking someone over garbage is pleading guilty. Joseph Randall Upshaw, 51 of Mason City, has entered a guilty plea to a reduced misdemeanor charge of assault causing bodily injury. He was originally charged with felony willful injury resulting in bodily injury for an incident on October 12, 2020. Law enforcement says after Upshaw argued with someone over trash bins in the 500 block of 1st Street NE in Mason City, the victim took Upshaw’s garbage and threw it into his yard. Investigators say as the victim walked back to his home, Upshaw hit the victim in the head with a blunt object.