A 37-year-old woman is facing three charges in connection with the 2018 in-custody death of Hardel Sherrell at Beltrami County Jail.

The criminal complaint filed in court Friday shows 37-year-old Michelle Skroch is charged with one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of criminal neglect. 

Skroch was the director of nursing for MEnD Correctional Care, LLC, at the time of Sherrell's death. The company allegedly provided inmate patient care to over 30 jails around the U.S., including Beltrami County Jail, before filing for bankruptcy in December 2022.  

Sherrell underwent a health assessment at the jail on August 25, 2018 — one day after he was booked. According to charges, his blood pressure was high, and he had reported a history of medicinal treatment for high blood pressure. 

From Aug. 26 to Aug. 28, nurses and doctors checking on Sherrell allegedly recorded high blood pressure. 

On Aug. 27, a doctor prescribed Sherrell with ibuprofen, Tylenol and an antihistamine after undergoing an electrocardiogram, according to court documents.

During a health assessment on Aug. 28, Sherrell reported falling out of his bunk bed and lying on the floor for almost 30 minutes, charges say. It was also on this day that a nurse learned Sherrell had not had his blood pressure medication filled since January 2018. A doctor prescribed blood pressure medication, ibuprofen and a muscle relaxer, and requested Sherrell be moved to a lower bunk bed. That night, Sherrell submitted a medical request form.

"I need to be seen and taken to the hospital on account of i cant feel my legs and cannot be physically mobile... Plz be fast about this because im also in incruciating [sic] pain in all my muscles all over my body," Sherrell wrote on the form, charges say.

From Aug. 29 to Aug. 31, Sherrell reported multiple health concerns, including numbness in his legs and a swollen throat that prevented him from taking medication, according to court documents.

On Aug. 31, a nurse found Sherrell lying on a mat on the floor of his jail cell and noticed it "smelled strongly of sweat and urine," charges say. His speech was slurred, and he allegedly cried for help. He was then taken to Sanford Medical Center Fargo. 

Personnel at the North Dakota hospital described the visit basis as "a lack of coordination that led to falls," according to court documents. He was diagnosed with malingering and weakness, and released with specific discharge instructions stating that medical attention should be sought upon worsening weakness, difficulty standing, paralysis, loss of control of the bladder or bowels or difficulty swallowing. 

Sherrell was back at Beltrami County Jail early on Sept. 1. He fell out of the transport vehicle onto the floor, charges say, and had to be lifted into a wheelchair by several correctional officers. He was taken to a jail cell, where he later fell off a cot and remained on the floor for over five hours. 

Skroch arrived for her shift at the Beltrami County facility during the afternoon of Sept. 1. According to charges, she reviewed Sherrell's emergency room records, and a nurse reported about his condition to Skroch. She allegedly met with Sherrell for a few minutes in the doorway of his cell and didn't assess any of his vital signs. Skroch claimed she didn't think it made much of a difference since vitals had been documented at the hospital. 

Sherrell pleaded with Skroch for more medical attention during her Sept. 1 visit, but she did not provide any, charges say. That evening, a doctor asked Skroch to monitor Sherrell and suggested a neurology specialist see him. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Sherrell was limp and required correctional officers' assistance several times in a two-hour span.

On the morning of Sept. 2, Sherrell, who was covered in urine and feces, told correctional officers attempting to clean him that he could not bend at the waist. According to court documents, a correctional officer reported that Skroch then screamed at him, saying he was faking. Skroch allegedly noticed Sherrell's face had drooped, but didn't perform any medical assessments on him. 

Later that same morning, Skroch noted Sherrell was lying down with a juice box, and reported to a doctor that his condition had slightly improved. Surveillance video around 2 p.m. showed Sherrell on a mattress taking rapid, shallow breaths, charges say. Skroch left the facility shortly after. 

Charges say Sherrell was unable to speak around 3:46 p.m. and was found unresponsive one hour later. He was pronounced dead at the facility at 5:25 p.m.

Attorney General Keith Ellison's office charged Skroch after a referral from Beltrami County Attorney David Hanson. 

In 2023, a federal judge ordered Beltrami County and MEnD Correctional Care to pay Sherrell's family $2.6 million. Sherrell's mother, Del Shea Perry, filed a lawsuit against Beltrami County and MEnD Correctional Care in 2019, accusing them of violating Sherrell's civil rights.