Inmate from Iowa dies in cell after move to Wisconsin prison

By: Associated Press//December 29, 2016//

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An inmate from Iowa with a history of violence toward guards and one daring escape has been found dead in a Wisconsin cell, one month after he was transferred there.

Authorities said Thursday that Justin Kestner, 26, was found unresponsive at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, on Dec. 21.

The Iowa Department of Corrections says prison staff initiated lifesaving measures but were unsuccessful. A medical examiner says autopsy results haven’t been completed.

Prison officials and the county sheriff say they’re investigating.

Kestner made headlines when he escaped from Iowa’s maximum-security prison on July 4, 2015, slithering through tight spaces to the roof before descending. In October, he assaulted an officer at the prison in Anamosa, Iowa with a piece of metal. He was transferred to Wisconsin the next month.

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