Former Westland Sgt. found not guilty in death of inmate, mistrial declared

William Marshall

WESTLAND, Mich. – Former Westland Police Sgt. Ronald Buckley was found not guilty of misconduct in office Friday.

In October 2018, former Westland officials Buckley and Leah Maynard were charged in the 2017 death of Westland jail inmate William Marshall.

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Marshall was arrested by Westland police and was taken to jail. He was dead four hours later.

ORIGINAL STORY: Man arrested for alleged drug possession dies after 4 hours in Westland jail, officials say

Marshall was arrested for cocaine and marijuana possession during a traffic stop on Dec. 10, 2017. While in his cell, he started convulsing, having muscle spasms and asked personel for medical help.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Marshall convulsed for almost 90 minutes without medical attention.

Marshall’s family held a protest at the Westland Police Station in January 2018 to bring attention his death.

In October, 2018, Westland police announced that the internal investigation found Buckley had violated department policies and procedures.

RELATED: Westland police sergeant fired after investigation into jail inmate’s death

A mistrial was declared in the misconduct in office trial of Maynard, a former EMT. Her pretrial is scheduled for Dec. 6.

Former Westland EMT Matt Dicosola, also charged in Marshall’s death, pleaded guilty in August to intentionally placing false information on medical records. He was sentenced Friday to one year of probation.


About the Author

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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