BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska judge has ruled that Gage County was not liable for a jail inmate’s 2013 death.
A district court issued the decision in a negligence lawsuit filed by the estate of Chad Gesin. Gesin hanged himself in a jail cell in July 2013 after he was arrested for domestic assault and third-degree assault. A grand jury found no criminal conduct in his death.
The lawsuit alleged that county jail workers failed to properly care for Gesin while he was in custody and should have placed him on suicide watch. It sought $1 million in damages.
The lawsuit alleged that sheriff’s department officials had interacted with Gesin before, including in 2011, when he stabbed himself and had to be taken to a hospital.