Inmate Death Won't Lead to Charges

SPRINGFIELD, S.D. (AP) - Authorities say they won't prosecute a
South Dakota prison inmate who fought with another inmate who later
died.
     Attorney General Marty Jackley and Bon Homme County
State's Attorney Lisa Rothschadl say prosecutors concluded that
evidence including video surveillance footage did not justify a
criminal charge, in part because 49-year-old Kendall Osteen was
defending himself.
     A simple assault charge that was filed against Osteen following
the death last Tuesday of 62-year-old Dennis Lashley was dismissed.
     Authorities say the fight between the two men serving time at
the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield for drunken driving
apparently stemmed from an argument over a TV remote control.
Lashley was found unresponsive in his room later in the day and
pronounced dead at a hospital in Tyndall. Autopsy results haven't
been released.