“We know that the defendants were in the position to observe both on camera and in person, Mr. Bluthouse s seizures. And yet, they simply failed to assist him or care for him,” she said.
The five individuals were arranged in the 60th District Court in Muskegon before Judge Harold Closz and released on personal bond. The probable cause conference is scheduled for April 15th. The preliminary examination is on April 22nd.
The staff members have been temporarily reassigned from direct inmate supervision until court proceedings can be conducted, according to the Muskegon County Jail.
Sheriff Michael Poulin said after the incident, the Michigan Sheriff’s Association Mission Team conducted an independent investigation and concluded the staff acted appropriately in providing care and the performance of cell checks.”
After AG charges 5 in inmate’s death, attorney questions Muskegon County’s earlier investigation
Updated 12:58 PM;
Today 11:08 AM
An attorney for the family of a Muskegon County Jail inmate who died in 2019 is questioning why earlier investigations found no fault. On Thursday, the Attorney General s office filed charges in the case. (MLive file photo)MLive.com
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MUSKEGON, MI After four Muskegon County jail staff were charged this week with involuntary manslaughter for the 2019 death of inmate Paul Bulthouse, his family’s attorney questions why earlier investigations found no fault.
The attorney told MLive on Thursday, after the attorney general field charges, that he doesn’t understand how previous investigations, including one by the Muskegon County Sheriff’s office, found no wrongdoing by jail staff.
5 charged in connection to 2019 inmate death in Muskegon County
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and last updated 2021-04-08 11:31:47-04
MUSKEGON, Mich. â Five people are facing charges in connection with an inmate death back in April 2019.
Four staff members at the Muskegon County Sheriffâs Office and one WellPath employee are being charged related to the death of inmate Paul Bulthouse, a news release said Thursday.
Bulthouse, 39, had been found unresponsive in his cell and was pronounced dead soon after.
He had been brought to the jail in March for a probation violation. He had been held in a single person observation area, designed for detoxification.
AG s office files criminal charges against Muskegon County Sheriff s Office staff members
The Michigan Attorney General s Office has made the decision to file charges against four staff members and one WellPath employee related to the death of an inmate.
Credit: AP
In this June 4, 2019, photo, Dana Nessel, Attorney General of Michigan, listens to a question from reporters in Detroit. Hundreds of boxes. Millions of records. From Texas to Michigan this month, attorneys general are sifting through secret files, nondisclosure agreements between the church and families, heart wrenching letters from parents begging for action, priests own psychiatric evaluations. They re looking to prosecute, and not just priests. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)