DES MOINES – A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Corrections said Friday that two inmates assigned to the Newton Correctional Release Center (CRC) and employed by the Sully Truck Wash Company were victims of an incident on Tuesday, January 21, 2014.
According to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, three employees at the car wash were found unconscious inside a truck tanker that day.
Justin Hurdel, 36 years old, was found unconscious and transported by ambulance to Skiff Medical Center in Newton. Shortly after admission, Hurdel was transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and was admitted under observation until discharge back to the CRC on Thursday, January 23, 2014.
Willie Mercer, 26 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported by the Wallace Funeral Home to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Ankeny where an autopsy has been ordered. The cause of death has yet to be determined.
The Correctional Release Center is a Minimum Security Facility.
