Iowa dentist won’t be charged for would-be burglar’s death

MAQUOKETA, Iowa – A prosecutor says an Iowa dentist won’t be charged in the death of a man suspected of trying to steal items from the dentist’s office.

Dr. Clyde Overturff had told officers that he was spending the night in an apartment at his Maquoketa (muh’-KOH’-keh-tuh) office in March when he tackled and tussled with a man he found in the office’s garage. Overturff says the man slumped over and stopped fighting, ending their struggle.

The Telegraph Herald reports that an autopsy report says the man, 44-year-old Richard Purcell, died from sudden cardiac arrest. Jackson County Attorney Sara Davenport says she won’t charge Overturff because Purcell’s death “was the result of pre-existing medical conditions aggravated by the actions of the property owner who was defending himself and his property.”

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Information from: Telegraph Herald, http://www.thonline.com