The Iowa Department of Corrections has reported the death of an inmate from Sac County.
Officials say 69‑year‑old Keith Clayton Mesner of Sac City died at 7:34 a.m. Friday at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville, where he had been serving a 10‑year sentence.
Mesner had been incarcerated for less than two years at the time of his death, following his conviction for third‑degree sexual abuse involving a 14‑year‑old girl. Court records show the case began on Dec. 24, 2021, when the Sac City Police Department received a report alleging Mesner had committed a sex act with a minor.
During the investigation, the victim told authorities the abuse occurred at Mesner’s Sac City residence in November 2021. Police and the Sac County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation, and prosecutors later charged Mesner with third‑degree sexual abuse, a Class C felony.
Mesner pleaded guilty in July 2022, and a Sac County judge sentenced him to the maximum 10‑year prison term during an Aug. 30, 2024 hearing. He was also placed on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for life.
The Department of Corrections has not released a cause of death, but says Mesner was pronounced dead at the prison’s medical facility, where he had been housed.
The DOC says the case remains under standard review, which is routine for all in‑custody deaths.
