Leavenworth police issue report on man’s death

? A preliminary autopsy report says a Lansing man who died while in police custody was under the influence of cocaine and had underlying health problems.

Forty-six-year-old Edward Stevenson died July 18 after Leavenworth police officers used Tasers on him three times when he became unruly in a police car. Officers eventually used physical force to subdue him.

Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said the preliminary autopsy indicates that Stevenson had cocaine in his system when he died, and may have been under the influence of alcohol and opiates.

The Leavenworth Times reports that the autopsy also found that Stevenson had an enlarged heart and the altercation with police may have been secondary contributing factors in his death.