A native of Rock Springs who was convicted of a sex crime over five years ago has died in prison, authorities say.

Mark Horan, spokesman for the Wyoming Department of Corrections, says 73-year-old Galen Van Tolar died from a long-term illness Saturday at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington.

An autopsy has been ordered per departmental policy, Horan said.

Sweetwater County District Court Judge Nena James sentenced Tolar on June 4, 2014 to a prison term of eight to 15 years for second-degree sexual assault.

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