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Donald Gene Hess, 56 of Stevens, was pronounced dead of natural causes at Penn State Holy Spirit Hospital at 10:58 a.m. on Feb. 24, Lancaster County Officials detailed in the release.
Stevens had been an inmate in the Lancaster County Prison since June 18, the day after the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police used a form of pepper spray to get him out of a shed where he was barricaded following a domestic incident, police explained at the time.
During that incident, Hess "claimed to have poured gasoline throughout the structure and had a lighter in his possession as a potential ignition source," the police said.
He had been held on 10% of $15,000 in bail for the following charges:
- Felony stalking.
- Misdemeanor terroristic threats.
- Misdemeanor criminal mischief.
- Misdemeanor resisting arrest.
His trial was scheduled for March 25, according to his last court docket.
Hess had a lengthy criminal record of drug-related offenses, driving under the influence, and probation violations, records show.
On Dec. 20, 2023, he pleaded guilty to violating his probation terms and was sentenced to 23 months confinement. On Jan. 17 he was transferred from the Lancaster County Prison to Lancaster General Hospital, officials explained.
On Feb. 6, "Lancaster County Prison staff submitted a request to the Department of Corrections to house the inmate at a State Correctional Institution to receive the additional medical care he required. The request was approved on February 12th and the inmate was transported to State Correctional Institution – Camp Hill on February 13th," officials stated in the release.
Officials noted that Hess's family was "present at the time of passing and the Cumberland County Coroner oversaw the report of the death" and the Lancaster County Judicial and Law Enforcement agencies were notified.
Additional details about his passing and his life were unavailable. His family is welcome to share more information including funeral service details with Daily Voice by emailing jpikora@dailyvoice.com.
This is the fifth death of an inmate in a Pennsylvania prison that Daily Voice has reported on since the start of 2024. Click here to read about a dad who died of a medical issue or here to read about a younger father who also died from a medical issue both of whom were inmates in the Dauphin County Prison, click here to read about a Monroe County inmate who fell to her death, or click here to read about a diehard KISS fan who died in the York County Prison on Feb. 20.
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