Four former corrections officers at the Adams County Jail in Ohio were convicted Wednesday of dereliction of duty after an inmate was left unattended in his cell for several days, culminating in a medical emergency that sent him to the hospital. Terry Akers, 40, Danny Kiskadden, 36, Chad Stanforth, 41, and Kiara Williams, 21, were all found guilty of the second-degree misdemeanor charge, and each now faces up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.
According to Fox19, an independent investigation determined that all four officers failed to check on the inmate during their shifts over four days in April, even though a jail log indicated the checks had been completed. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported the same convictions, noting all four were fired from their corrections officer jobs well before Wednesday's verdicts.
How the Inmate Ended Up Alone in a Holding Cell
Investigators say jail staff moved the inmate out of his assigned housing unit on April 14 and placed him in a holding cell in the booking area after he became combative with staff and other inmates and expressed concern for his own safety, per Fox19's reporting. Staff took him to Adams County Regional Medical Center on April 15 after observing a change in behavior; after his evaluation, he returned to the jail and the holding cell, where he was apparently unchecked for days.
The inmate was found unresponsive in that holding cell at approximately 6:45 a.m. on April 20, according to the Clermont County Sheriff's Office. Fox19 reported dried feces, urine and vomit next to him. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office said the investigation centered specifically on events occurring between April 17 and April 20, 2026, while Akers, Kiskadden, Stanforth and Williams were on duty.
Falsification Charge Adds to Williams' Exposure
Williams faces additional legal jeopardy beyond the shared dereliction charge. She was also convicted of a first-degree misdemeanor charge of falsification and could serve an additional 180 days in jail and pay a $1,000 fine, the station's report states.
Under Ohio law, dereliction of duty is defined by Ohio Revised Code Section 2921.44, which makes it a second-degree misdemeanor for a public servant to recklessly fail to perform a duty required by law. Separately, Ohio Revised Code Section 2929.28 allows courts sentencing misdemeanor offenders to impose financial sanctions in addition to court costs, and to order restitution when applicable.
Charges Followed a Months-Long Investigation
The case moved from the April incident to formal charges over the course of several months. Criminal charges against all four were filed on July 28, 2026, through the Adams County Municipal Court, the sheriff's office said in its press release. The investigation that led to those charges was described by the sheriff's office as identifying failures in required physical checks on the inmate, a gap that local outlet Local 12 also reported had occurred between April 17 and April 20, 2026, despite log entries suggesting otherwise.
All four defendants remain free on bond while they await sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 10 at 9 a.m., per the same Fox19 account. It remains unclear whether any of the four will actually serve jail time or pay the maximum fines once sentencing takes place.
