A federal lawsuit has been filed in Columbus against the Ross County Sheriff and unnamed deputies and employees for failing to prevent the suicide of inmate, 20-year-old Scott Anthony Coldren. His body was found hanging in a Ross County jail cell February 7th, a day after he was taken into custody to serve a 30-day term on a misdemeanor drug charge.
Coldren's family claims they warned jail staff that he intended to kill himself. The civil suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is seeking more than $1 million.
Coldren was taken into custody February 6th and reportedly told a “probation officer that he intended to commit suicide if he was arrested and incarcerated”. The federal lawsuit alleges that the sheriff and other employees failed to provide necessary medical or mental health care to prevent Coldren’s suicide.
“What makes this case particularly egregious is that Scott’s mother called the jail and spoke at length with jail officials relaying to them her concern about his safety while in jail based on his threat to commit suicide on the very day that he was arrested,” said Columbus-based attorney Shawn Dingus, partner with Plymale and Dingus, who is representing Coldren’s family. “The Sheriff and his employees failed to help Scott or to do anything to stop Scott from killing himself. Their inaction was the ultimate cause of his death.”
The Ross County Sheriff’s Office is being represented by New Albany law firm- Fishel Downey Albrecht & Riepenhoff.