Allen County, Indiana — A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against several defendants, including the Allen County Board of Commissioners and Sheriff Troy Hershberger, following the suicide of an Allen County Jail inmate in January 2024.
In addition to Hershberger and the Allen County Commissioners, five officers were named in the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.
According to the Allen County Coroner’s Office, the defendants “failed to protect” 33-year-old James Robert Shaffer, who died from asphyxia caused by hanging while inside a jail cell.
According to the lawsuit filed by Shaffer’s sister-in-law, police arrested Shaffer for an undisclosed reason on December 30, 2024, and informed both police and hospital staff that he struggled with drug addiction and suicidal ideation.
During Shaffer’s time in jail, the lawsuit claims that jail staff were “deliberately indifferent” to his suicide risk and did not follow suicide watch protocols, such as not checking on him as frequently as they should have and not keeping him in a stripped cell.
The lawsuit also named Hershberger and the Allen County Commissioners as defendants, citing the current Allen County Jail’s conditions, which prompted the ongoing lawsuit and the subsequent construction of a new one off Meyer Road.
Shaffer’s sister-in-law seeks a jury trial, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.
When contacted by WANE 15, both the Allen County Commissioners and the Allen County Sheriff’s Department stated that they could not comment on pending litigation.
