No details following death of 23-year-old inmate at Newton Correctional Facility

Local law enforcement and EMS responders confirmed with Newton News that a 23-year-old male inmate died earlier this week at Newton Correctional Facility, but it took more than a day for the prison and the Iowa Department of Corrections to publish any sort of information about the incident, which is under investigation.

Jasper County Dispatch received a 911 call about an unresponsive inmate who was not breathing and was receiving CPR. Newton Fire Department responded by ambulance to the prison that very morning to assist. However, it was reported Malga Harun Yanga died at the scene.

In a release sent to subscribers on the Iowa Department of Correction’s delivery list, it was revealed Yanga was pronounced dead at 6:06 a.m. Sept. 4. Yanga had been serving a “life special sentence” from Buena Vista County. His sentence began on Aug. 17, 2020. No other information is being shared at this time.

Newton News filed an open records request for the 911 call recording. The call was made around 5:30 a.m. The caller told dispatchers Yanga was unresponsive and not breathing, and he confirmed the subject’s name, height and weight. He also noted CPR had been started and that an automated external defibrillator was deployed.

The incident also apparently took place at the “new facility at the top of the hill by the water tower” at the Newton prison. Dispatchers paged an ambulance to be sent out.

In Iowa, a life special sentence means an individual must be supervised by the department of corrections for the rest of their lives unless excused by a parole board or upon a successful appeal. Some law experts have described special sentences has “lifetime parole.”

According to a September 2019 report by KCAU, Yanga was charged with third-degree sexual abuse (Class C felony), invasion of privacy and an aggravated misdemeanor after law enforcement in Storm Lake found a cell phone video of an alleged sexual assault of an adult woman.

Storm Lake Police Department was processing evidence related to vehicle burglaries and theft when they found possible evidence of more criminal activity. Police identified Yanga, 18 years old at the time, and then arrested him and booked him in Buena Vista County Jail.

Yanga was a graduate of Storm Lake High School and played shooting guard for the varsity basketball team. His Twitter/X page shows on March 2019 he worked for an offer on the men’s basketball team at William Penn University. The Oskaloosa-based basketball team’s page declared him a “future All-American.”

Sources close to the prison speculate Yanga had been experiencing health or medical issues prior to his death. It’s happened before at Newton Correctional Facility. Earlier this year, 73-year-old Pete Alspach died from an “unexpected medical emergency” while incarcerated.

Alspach was serving a life sentence for first-degree kidnapping from Wright County. The state said an autopsy was conducted to determine the cause of death and that foul play was not suspected. Newton News also received numerous inquires questioning how a young man like Yanga dies in prison.

In June, a 24-year-old serving his sentence at Anamosa State Penitentiary also died due to an “unexpected medical emergency.” Foul play was not suspected either. Andrew Redman Jr. was serving a sentence for drug crimes and for possessing a firearm as a felon in Polk County.