A former nurse is facing multiple felony charges following the death of an inmate at the Beltrami County Jail.
Hardel Sherrell
Prosecutors allege that Michelle Rose Skroch, 37, failed to provide essential medical care despite evidence the inmate, Hardel Sherrell, was undergoing a life-threatening medical emergency.
According to the criminal complaint, Sherrell was booked into the jail on Aug. 24, 2018. At the time of his intake, he appeared to be in stable condition, speaking and moving normally. But within days, he began experiencing severe medical symptoms including high blood pressure, numbness, paralysis and difficulty swallowing.
Surveillance footage and medical records document his rapid decline, with repeated reports of severe pain, an inability to move and distressing neurological symptoms.
On Aug. 27, 2018, Sherrell complained of chest pain, tingling in his fingers and a burning sensation extending from his collarbone to his neck. His blood pressure was dangerously high, and he reported falling from his bunk earlier that day, requiring assistance from other inmates to stand up. Despite these symptoms, medical staff didn’t transfer him to a hospital, instead prescribing ibuprofen, muscle relaxants and blood pressure medication.
By Aug. 29, Sherrell could no longer feel his legs or arms and struggled to eat, the documents say. Jail staff reported that he was unable to lift his own hands to remove a medical sensor. That same day, he fell from his cot, landing face-down on the floor. Surveillance footage showed he remained there for several hours, unable to get up on his own. His condition worsened over the next two days, and on Aug. 31, a nurse noted that he was slurring his speech, unable to move his lower body and had defecated on himself.
