Iowa Inmate Injured in Fall From Roof Sues County

A 21-year-old Iowa jail inmate injured while reportedly trying to escape the jail is suing the county.

The Webster County Sheriff’s Department told the Fort Dodge Messenger that it received notice on Friday that Tanner King had filed the lawsuit.

King, of Fort Dodge, is recovering at a Des Moines-area hospital after he jumped or fell from the roof of the county jail on Sept. 4.

King’s attorney, Mark Pennington of West Des Moines, says the jail didn’t do enough to protect King and that jail staff should have known King was suicidal.

Investigators believe King was trying to jump to the neighboring roof when he fell 40 feet to an alley below.

King was being held on several charges, including burglary and domestic assault.