FORT DODGE – Prison officials are investigating the death of an inmate who was found dead at in a prison bathroom in Fort Dodge.
On Thursday December 12, 2013 at 9:39 P.M. Dennis Lass, an inmate assigned to the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, was discovered unresponsive in the living unit restroom. Emergency medical procedures including CPR were immediately implemented by responding officers and medical personnel. Fort Dodge Emergency Medical Responders arrived at 9:43 P.M. and continued emergency medical protocols. At 10:02 P.M. Lass was transported by ambulance to Trinity Regional Hospital where Lass was pronounced dead at 10:15 P.M.
Although there are no indications of foul play, the official cause of death will be determined following the results of an autopsy, including toxicology testing. The incident remains under investigation.
Lass was 73 years old and serving a life sentence from Marshall County for Murder First Degree. This sentence began on November 27, 1973.
The Fort Dodge Correctional Facility (FDCF) is a medium security prison originally designed to house 762 adult male offenders in a double occupancy celled environment. Construction began in October 1996 and the facility opened in April 1998. The facility is located on 60 acres of land in southern Fort Dodge.
