Waterloo Man Serving Life Sentence Dies In Prison

A Waterloo man serving a life sentence for a kidnapping in Black Hawk County has died.

Iowa Department of Corrections officials confirmed that 58-year-old Dale Viers died Sunday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. In a press release, corrections officials said Viers likely died of complications related to COVID-19 and other preexisting medical conditions.

Viers was taken to the Iowa City hospital for advanced care several days earlier when his medical condition began to worsen.

According to court records, Viers began serving his life sentence at the Iowa State Penitentiary on March 30, 1995. He was convicted of first-degree kidnapping and second-degree sexual abuse in the kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl from a Waterloo street in 1994. Authorities said the girl was sexually abused by Viers.