4 West Michigan deputies to go to trial in death of inmate

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A judge's gavel is seen on February 2, 2009 in Miami, Florida.

(WXYZ) — Four Muskegon County deputies will go to trial in the death of Paul Bulthouse, who was an inmate at the Muskegon County Jail, back in 2019.

Bulthouse was arrested by Norton Shores police on March 22, 2019 and brought to the jail.

He was reportedly classified as suicidal, which required him to be monitored every 15 minutes.

On April 4, Bulthouse died in custody after suffering "many visible seizures" in a 5 1/2 hour period.

The Michigan AG's office charged five people for willful neglect of duty, and after a prelim exam, four deputies were bound over on one charge each of involuntary manslaughter - failure to perform a legal duty.

“The oath to protect and serve extends to those who are in police custody,” Nessel said in a release. “We will continue our pursuit of justice for Mr. Bulthouse and his loved ones as this case moves to trial.”

The judge declined to bind a registered nurse over for trial.