The family of a former Beltrami County jail inmate is speaking out after a county jail nurse was charged in his death.
Nursing Director Michelle Skroch faces second-degree manslaughter and criminal neglect charges in connection to the death of Hardel Sherrell who died from complications of a rare disease while under Skroch's care in 2018.
"This feels like some small vindication because, as I said, no matter who gets criminally charged and what their sentence may be, it will never compare to the sentence that I got, which was a life sentence," says Sherrell’s mother, Del Shea Perry.
According the the family’s lawyer Zorislav Leyderman, this is the first such case against a medical practitioner in the state of Minnesota.
"We hope that this case will bring an end to the suffering that happens in jails across the state, and will bring an end to these unjustified and preventable deaths that continue to happen even to this day," says Leyderman who added that more former jail employees could be charged in the near future.
State Attorney General Keith Ellison alongside attorneys from Beltrami County are bringing the case against Skroch based on findings from an investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The criminal complaint says that Skroch failed to perform “the most basic nursing care” and did not take Mr. Sherrell’s vitals for two days, despite “objective evidence” of Mr. Sherrell’s medical distress after he returned from the emergency room.
A correctional healthcare expert’s review concluded that Skroch’s actions demonstrated a “tremendous breach in the standard of care.” Skroch’s nursing license was revoked in 2023.
Skroch is set to make her first appearance in court on April 11.