Former Hillsdale County Sheriff's Department Sergeant Ronald Leggitt received a sentence for the assault of a county jail inmate under his watch. Leggitt, 44, of Marshall, was issued two years’ probation and a seven-day jail period by Judge John G. McBain Jr. This decision was made in the 4th Judicial Circuit Court in Jackson County, as reported by the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
According to the attorney general office's announcement, in December of 2021, a woman demonstrating disruptive behavior was pepper-sprayed six times by Leggitt over 80 minutes. During this confrontation, the inmate was restrained in an emergency chair, secured by wrist and ankle cuffs, and a chest restraint. For these actions, Leggitt pleaded guilty to one count each of Misconduct in Office and Aggravated Assault, in November 2024, and has also permanently renounced his MCOLES certification – a requirement to serve as a law enforcement officer in Michigan.
The incident in question took place at the Hillsdale County Jail, where Leggitt supervises, operations and staff. Upon the female inmate's resistance to arrest and subsequent disruptive actions in custody, Leggitt utilized aerosol subject restraint, known commonly as mace, from mere inches away, the attorney general reported. These assaults mostly occurred while the victim was immobile and contained within the chair’s restraints.
