Iverson died in a Box Elder County holding cell, while county deputies were absent preparing his booking process. When the deputies returned, they found Iverson unresponsive. The death is currently under investigation by the Northern Utah Critical Incident Investigative Team, but foul play is not suspected.

‘Iverson’s Friends Said He Was Giving and Friendly, Even Loaning Them Money When They Needed It’

Box Elder County Chief Deputy Sheriff Dale Ward stated that incarcerating Iverson for being poor was justified because “everybody had worked really hard to give him a break” and that “the bottom line is that Iverson just continued to ignore this thing and what made this one worse is the fact that he was thumbing his nose at a public entity, Tremonton Ambulance.”

Rex Iverson was first arrested in 2014, for not being able to pay for an ambulance ride and hospital visit, and was subsequently released pending a court appearance. In 2015, the city of Tremonton attempted to garnish Mr. Iverson’s wages, “but he didn’t have a job” said Sharri Oyler, the city treasurer.