Nearly nine months after 38-year-old LaSelle Allen died in Ohio state custody, a prison lieutenant and nurse now face misdemeanor charges tied to the response that preceded his death. Allen's cause of death remains undetermined, making the case less a tidy answer than a new legal reckoning over what happened inside Lebanon Correctional Institution.
According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, corrections officer Jeromy Roberts, 44, was charged with dereliction of duty and assault, while nurse Tiffany Ramsey, 36, faces a dereliction-of-duty charge. Both were summoned to appear in Lebanon Municipal Court next Thursday and were not physically arrested.
Allen, a Toledo man serving a 1.5-year sentence, died Nov. 29, 2025, after an altercation with another inmate and a subsequent use-of-force incident at the Warren County prison. He was taken to the infirmary after becoming unresponsive, then transported to Atrium Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:38 a.m., Dayton Daily News reported.
Charges Focus On Pepper Spray And Delayed Medical Care
The allegations describe a troubling sequence during the prison response. Roberts, who was working as a temporary lieutenant, allegedly sprayed chemical irritant into Allen's face six times in roughly one minute while Allen was on the floor in hand restraints, while Ramsey allegedly waited 10 minutes and 38 seconds to inspect his vital signs and 5 minutes and 21 seconds to begin CPR, according to The Enquirer.
The Warren County coroner ruled Allen's cause of death undetermined. Toxicology found a small amount of a synthetic prison drug commonly called tune, which can cause cardiac arrhythmia, but the coroner said there is no clearly defined toxic or lethal level for such substances; earlier reporting by WCPO 9 also noted that pepper spray was used during the incident.
Family Still Waiting For Answers In Allen's Death
Allen's mother, Rose Sailes, told WCPO that the family was left with unanswered questions and had been trying to piece together what happened through information from other inmates. Allen was scheduled for release on Jan. 6, less than six weeks after his death, and left behind nine children.
The charges do not establish that either employee caused Allen's death, and neither defendant has been convicted. For now, the case centers on whether Roberts and Ramsey met their duties during a rapidly unfolding medical emergency while the broader death investigation remains unresolved.
