LaSelle Allen
LaSelle Allen, 38, of Toledo, was a father, and his mother, Rose Sailes, said she had talked with him the day before he died and he was fine. He was held at Lebanon Correctional Institution in Warren County, Ohio, and died at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown on November 29, 2025, after an altercation with another person held at the prison in which staff used pepper spray. Court filings allege that an officer pepper-sprayed him while he was on the ground in restraints and that staff took more than 10 minutes to check his vitals during a medical episode. The Warren County coroner, Dr. Russell Uptegrove, found no obvious lethal injury and listed the cause as undetermined, pending toxicology, noting a synthetic drug found in his system that may have caused a fatal arrhythmia; two staff members have pleaded not guilty, the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation remains open, and his family says they want to know what happened.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). Court documents say an officer pepper-sprayed him while he was on the ground in restraints and that staff took more than 10 minutes to check his vitals, while the Warren County coroner ruled the cause undetermined, citing a synthetic drug that may have caused an arrhythmia, and his family wants the death treated as murder.
Reported by: Lebanon Correctional Institution (prison report) (the agency that held him); Warren County Coroner's Office (Dr. Russell Uptegrove) (medical examiner or coroner); Court documents (court); Family of LaSelle Allen (family or their lawyers).
News reports (5)
- Prison employees put on leave after inmate death in Warren County
- Warren County prison employees placed on paid leave amid inmate death investigation
- 2 prison employees charged months after inmate dies
- 2 Lebanon Correctional Institution employees charged in connection with inmate's death
- Nurse, corrections officer face misdemeanors in inmate's death, but family says it's not enough