Hardel Sherrell, 27

Bemidji, Minnesota
September 02, 2018

Agencies: Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office Minnesota | Beltrami County Jail

Cause of death: Medical Neglect


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Last updated: over 3 years ago

Overview

On August 24, 2018 27-year-old Hardel Sherrell was transferred to the Beltrami County jail on charges of possession of a firearm by an ineligible person.  During his stay, he called his mother, stating that he was mistreated and in pain. He developed a headache after two days and requested that his blood pressure be taken.  Four days later, he feel from his bunk, stating that he could not move his legs.  The next morning he fell out of his wheelchair, and later that day he said that he was having trouble swallowing and couldn't feel his hands and arms.  Notes from a nurse said that while his blood pressure was elevated, she believed Sherell had faked the fall.  A doctor observed Sherrell's state and ordered him to be taken to the hospial but jail adminstrator Calandra Allen refused on the grounds that it might be an escape attempt.

On August 31, a nurse practitioner noticed that the right side of Sherrell's face was drooping and he was slurring his words.  Sherrell was then taken to the emergency room at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota, where Dr. Dustin G. Leigh examined him.  Leigh conducted a CT scan and MRI and found no abnormalities, while seemingly ignoring the facial drooping and loss of sensation, according to a federal lawsuit.  Leigh and other medical staff told corrections officers that they did not find any condition that warranted continued hospitalization, and that the had seen Sherrell move his extremities without difficulty during the night.  Sherrell was discharged with a primary diagnoses of malingering and weakness, with instructions to seek medical treatment if he suffered from certain symptoms in the future.

As noted by Kira Lerner in "Her Son Couldn't Move His Limbs Or Swallow. Jail Officials Insisted He Was Faking.":

Surveillance video from the jail shows that when Sherrell returned, jail officials allowed him to fall to the ground outside the car and did not pick him up for several minutes. When they did bring him into the jail, his head flopped back. In the video, an officer can be seen shoving his head forward. The complaint noted that Sherrell appeared to be crying.

By the next morning, officials found him paralyzed in his cell but ignored all of his worsened symptoms, including numerous seizures, and did not assist him with eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. Despite the discharge instructions, Sherrell never returned to the hospital.

Sherrell died on September 2 due to what officials called "an unknown medical condition."  According to the Bemidji Police Department, a Ramsey County medical examiner determined that Sherell died of pneumonia.  However, an independent autopsy later found that Sherell sufferd from untreated Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare but treatable condition.

Legal Action

In September 2019, Sherell's mother, Del Shea Perry, filed a federal lawsuit against Beltrami County, corrections officers, MenD Correctional Care, Sanford Health, and other medial officials, accusing them of medical negligence.

A July 2020 investigation revealed multiple failures to prevent Sherrell’s death.

Community and Family Efforts

In September 2018, family, friends, and a coalition of organizations held a protest and vigil at the Minnesota governor's mansion.