Johnson County authorities are investigating after a county supervisor was found dead at his home Friday morning, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.
Det. Sgt. Brad Kunkel, with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, said emergency crews headed to Supervisor Kurt Friese's Iowa City home around 11:20 a.m. for a "medical emergency."
"First responders arrived and determined that Supervisor Friese had passed away," said Kunkel. "The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Department are investigating his death."
Kunkel said foul play is not suspected in the 54-year-old's death.
Authorities said an autopsy to help determine a cause of death is pending.
Friese was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2016. He began his first term, January 3, 2017, which is set to expire on December 31, 2020.
According to the Supervisors' website, Friese owned Devotay Restaurant and Bar in downtown Iowa City for 21 years and had been a foodservice professional for 40 years.
"His inauguration day was also his 30th wedding anniversary with Iowa City native Kim McWane (of the McWane Dairy Queen family)," according to the webpage bio said. "Kurt has two adult children, Devon and Taylor, and his awesome dog, Archie."