OTTUMWA — Joseph David Curtis, the former child therapist convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography, has died.

Authorities said Curtis died June 23 during a transport from one prison to another.

Curtis, 66, was sentenced in March 2009 in U.S. District Court. He formerly worked as a child therapist at Ottumwa Regional Health Center but was fired in March 2007 after authorities charged him.

Sean O’Neal, a supervisory deputy withthe U.S. Marshal’s Service, on Thursday confirmed the death for the Courier.

O’Neal said Curtis, following sentencing, “was shipped” from Davenport to Polk County Jail in Des Moines. Next he went to Correctional Corporation of America-Leavenworth, Kan., then by bus from Leavenworth to Terre Haute, Ind.

“The transport team said they were about 2.7 miles out from the Terre Haute prison when other prisoners on the bus got the guards’ attention,” O’Neal said.

Curtis wasn’t breathing well and had “some sort of respiratory distress.” The prison has a medical facility but Curtis was declared dead upon arrival at the prison.

O’Neal said an autopsy was done but the results were “inconclusive.”

“Curtis had a host of medical problems at the time,” the deputy said.

Authorities began investigating Curtis after he took his computer to a Coralville Best Buy for repairs in early 2006. Employees there found what they thought was child pornography and called police.

Curtis was sentenced to more than five years in prison each on three counts of child pornography and to 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment. Concerning the 64 months on each charge, U.S. Attorney Matthew G. Whitaker said in March 2009 that the time would be served concurrently, which meant Curtis would have served 64 months in prison.

Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.