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Fort Dodge man found dead in Lake View

A Fort Dodge man was found dead outside a Lake View residence last week, Lake View Police Chief Royce Kemmann said Wednesday.

The Lake View Police Department was dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of Blossom Street at approximately 6 a.m. on Feb. 18 for a report of a possibly deceased individual.

Upon arriving at the scene, police found James Wesley Cooper, 43, of Fort Dodge, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kemmann said Cooper was found right outside the residence.

“We have reason to believe he was associated with that residence,” Kemmann said. “He had driven from Fort Dodge and arrived there around midnight, they said.”

Kemmann said some things “just didn’t look right” to him, so he called in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to assist.

The cause of death has not been determined, Kemmann said.

“It’s all pending autopsy yet and I haven’t heard back yet,” he said. “But that’s going to take awhile because they’ll run toxicology and everything on Mr. Cooper.”

The police chief said that while homicide hasn’t been ruled out, he doesn’t believe those are the circumstances behind the death.

“But we won’t know for sure until we get the autopsy results back,” he said.

Kemmann notes that there is no ongoing threat to the community.

“We believe there is no danger to the community from this event,” he said.

The death remains under investigation.

The LVPD was assisted by the Iowa DCI, the Sac City Police Department, the Sac County Sheriff’s Office.

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