HILLSDALE COUNTY, Mich. — A Sergeant at the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Department will stand trial for allegedly assaulting a jail inmate repeatedly with mace in 2021 while they were restrained.
On Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Ronald Leggitt, 43, of Marshall, waived his preliminary examination and was bound over to stand trial in Hillsdale County on seven felony charges for the alleged assaults. At the time of the alleged assaults, Leggitt was employed as a Sergeant with the HCSD.
According to the AG's office, on Dec. 16, 2021, a woman was brought into custody at the Hillsdale County jail where Leggitt was said to be supervising operations and staff.
The attorney general's office said staff at the jail were informed the woman allegedly resisted officers during the arrest and booking process, and continued to be resistant and disruptive at the jail.
According to the AG's office, it is alleged that over the course of 80 minutes, Leggitt assaulted the woman six times with mace from a "distance of mere inches."
The woman was said to have been secured in an emergency restraint chair during five of the six assaults, which included being restrained in wrist and ankle cuffs as well as a chest restraint.
The attorney general's office said Leggitt was charged in March with one count of misconduct in office, a 5-year felony, and six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, a 4-year felony for each count.
“Law enforcement officers have an obligation to protect the physical safety of those within their custody,” said Nessel when announcing the charges. “When their conduct stoops to criminality, we must take such allegations very seriously. My department prioritizes matters of public integrity and will continue to hold those who violate the rule of law accountable.”
A trial date has not yet been set, the AG's office said.