Vet Died After VA Center, Jail Refused him

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By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Nov 20, 2007 at 12:38 PM CDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2007 at 1:57 PM CDT

IOWA CITY (AP) - A homeless Vietnam veteran whose body was found beneath an Iowa City bridge had been turned away just days before from a Veterans Affairs center and the Johnson County jail.

That's according to University of Iowa police reports obtained by the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Sonny Lovino was found dead earlier this month under a bridge. An autopsy showed he died of hypothermia. His body was found two days after Lovino had repeated run-ins with police.

Advocates for the mentally ill say it's hard to help when people refuse treatment.

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