WESTLAND (WWJ/AP) - A police officer blamed for the drug-related death of a man in a Detroit-area jail has been cleared of misconduct in office.
A Wayne County jury acquitted former Westland Sgt. Ron Buckley on Friday. Separately, a mistrial was declared in the trial of paramedic Leah Maynard.
Prosecutors alleged that, in December of 2017, the three failed to help Marshall after he was arrested for drug during a traffic stop. While being booked, the 35-year-old man convulsed on-and-off for over an hour and then died, according to authorities.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Buckley insisted that Marshall remain in the cell; and, while Dicosola and Maynard were present, they failed to help the dying man.
The case began 13 months ago with charges of involuntary manslaughter, as Worthy accused Buckley, Maynard and another paramedic of "criminal disregard for human life." A judge in January dismissed the manslaughter charges.
