Fort Wayne, Indiana – The ex-wife of a man who died after attempting suicide at the Allen County Jail is suing several county agencies and officials over his death.
Jonathan Ohlwine died on October 13, 2023. He was arrested a month earlier after a Fort Wayne Police Department detective observed him walking into traffic.
According to police, the detective attempted to move Ohlwine away from danger, but he became aggressive and began swinging with a “one thousand mile stare” before landing a punch.
Jonathan Ohlwine’s ex-wife, Trisha Ohlwine, told 21Investigates that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which he could be heard telling police on body camera footage during his arrest.
Trisha Ohlwine stated that she had to distance herself and her two children from her ex-husband after he burned down their home in 2019. He had been released from prison for the incident the summer before his death.
Trisha Ohlwine believes her ex-husband should have been sentenced to a behavioral health facility rather than jail.
“You can’t just throw someone inside the jail like that,” she told 21 Investigates. “What do you think is going to happen?”
According to documents obtained by 21Investigates, those named in her lawsuit include Allen County Sheriff Troy Hershberger, Allen County Jail Commander David Butler, Fort Wayne Police Detective Jean Gigli, and Fort Wayne Police Officer Adam Hartman. She is suing on behalf of Jonathan Ohlwine’s estate.
According to Trisha Ohlwine, her ex-husband “had a long history of mental illness and ideations of self-harm that was known or should have been known by the Fort Wayne Police Department and the Allen County Jail” and was not properly supervised while in jail.
She is seeking restitution for economic losses as well as mental and emotional distress.
21Alive News reached out to the agencies involved in the lawsuit for comment. The Allen County Sheriff’s Department and Fort Wayne Police Department declined to comment on pending litigation.
