DEARBORN HEIGHTS (WXYZ) — When William Marshall was arrested and jailed at the Westland Police Department in December 2017, the arresting officers failed to let Sergeant Ronald Buckley know that Marshall may have ingested some of the crack cocaine they found in his mouth, according to defense attorney Todd Flood who is representing Buckley.
Flood pointed out that an officer handling the traffic stop voided out the ticket he'd issued Marshall for drug possession shortly after his death, suggesting the officer was trying to hide the fact that they'd seized some crack from Marshall's mouth.
Buckley and two paramedics, Matt Dicosola and Leah Maynard, are each facing multiple charges including Involuntary Manslaughter in Marshall's death.
Defense attorneys for Maynard and Dicosola told the judge in Dearborn Heights District Court, who is presiding over the trio's preliminary examination, that their clients had also not been informed that Marshall had ingested the drug when they were called to evaluate his condition.
On jail video, Marshall is seen laid out on the ground, at times attempting to get the attention of police officers before a man, identified as Sgt. Buckley, pulls Marshall off of the door and pushes him further inside the detox cell.
Marshall is also seen convulsing on the floor of the cell.
Prosecutors said the sergeant and two paramedics could see that Marshall was in distress and denied him medical treatment even when he was asking for help.
The preliminary examination is set to resume Tuesday when a former inmate who tried to help Marshall could take the stand.
Click on the video to see what happened in court Monday.
