No Charges in LPD Inmate Death
There has been much speculation about the man who died while in police custody some months ago here in Ingham County. But after an extensive investigation conducted by the Michigan State Police, the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office has announced that they will not be pressing charges. Here is what we know:
On April 27th, Christopher Lee Phillips, a 39-year-old Grand Ledge resident and father of three, was driving his mother to the hospital. A Lansing Police Officer pulled him over, and arrested him for driving on a suspended license. Knowing that he was an epileptic, he told officers about his condition when they booked him. His mother, who also knew of his condition, set about trying to bring him his medication at the jail. But just a few short hours later, he was dead.
Police records show that Phillips was arrested and booked into jail at about 2 pm on a misdemeanor traffic charge. By shortly after 5 pm, officers say they found him unresponsive in his cell. By 5:45, he was pronounced dead. But what had happened? What took place in those few short hours that cost a man his life? According to Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings, whatever happened was not the fault of the police.
In a recent news release, Prosecutor Dunnings says that he will not be filing criminal charges against anyone in this case. Why? Because apparently the autopsy results show that Phillips died of nothing more than a drug overdose. The medical examiner says that there were a number of different drugs in the man’s system. However, what the drugs were has not yet been made public.
Although the MSP has already completed their investigation into whether or not the LPD was to blame for the inmate death, the case is not closed yet. The Lansing Police Department’s internal affairs unit will now begin a separate investigation into whether or not jail staff violated department policies. The results of that investigation may yet result in charges or dismissals, depending on the findings.