WARREN COUNTY, Ohio — Two employees at the Lebanon Correctional Institute in Warren County have been placed on administrative leave following the death of an inmate.
The Warren County Coroner's Office told us inmate LaSelle Allen, 38, died at the Atrium Medical Center Saturday, Nov. 29. While the coroner's office said there is no preliminary cause of death, they noted that "there was some type of altercation and pepper spray was utilized." Officials are awaiting the results of an autopsy.
On Wednesday, a corrections officer at the prison was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a use-of-force investigation. A nurse at the prison was also placed on paid leave in relation to Allen's death, a prison spokesperson tells us.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which is handling the investigation into Allen's death, tells us they are openly and actively investigating Allen's death.
According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction, Allen was serving a 1.5-year sentence for aggravated assault and attempted discharge of a firearm near a habitation or school. Allen was convicted of committing those crimes in Lucas County.
We began looking into this story after Allen's sister-in-law reached out to us on Tuesday. She said the family is waiting on reports from the Warren County coroner to determine Allen's cause of death.
Allen's sister-in-law tells us Allen is from Toledo. She said the family has a lot of unanswered questions regarding what happened.
WCPO 9 News requested records for both prison employees as well as any investigation reports done related to Allen's death. We are still waiting for those records to be sent.
