Hillsdale County Sheriff Deputy will face trial on 7 charges

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A Hillsdale County Sheriff Department Sergeant is headed to trial in Circuit Court on 7 charges accusing him of assault in the county jail.

The Office of the Attorney General of Michigan announced Wednesday Ronald Leggitt, 43, of Marshall, waived his right to a preliminary examination in District Court. The move sent his case up to the Circuit Court where he will face trial.

No trial date has been set.

Leggitt has been charged with with one count of Misconduct in Office, a 5-year felony, and six counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, each count a 4-year felony. Those charges were filed in March of this year.

The Attorney General’s Office brought the charges, and this how they explain the conduct Leggitt is accused of engaging in to support the charges:

In the early morning hours of December 16th, 2021, a woman was brought into custody at the Hillsdale County jail, where Leggitt was supervising operations and staff. Staff at the jail were informed the woman had resisted officers during the arrest and the booking process. At the jail, she continued to exhibit resistant and disruptive behavior. It is alleged that over the course of 80 minutes, Leggitt assaulted the inmate six times with aerosol subject restraint, commonly known as mace or pepper spray, spraying the chemical irritant into her face from a distance of mere inches. During five of the six alleged assaults, the victim was secured in an emergency restraint chair; restrained in wrist and ankle cuffs as well as a chest restraint.

News Release, Office the Attorney General of Michigan, July 17, 2024

“Law enforcement officers have an obligation to protect the physical safety of those within their custody,” said Dana Nessel, Michigan’s Attorney General, when announcing the charges in March in a news release. “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.”

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