PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio prison employee is charged with negligent homicide in the death of a corrections officer who was shot during a training session in Pickaway County earlier this year.
David Pearson, 44, was indicted on the misdemeanor charge by a Pickaway County grand jury on July 12. He has not been taken into custody, according to the indictment. 10TV reached out to the Pickaway County Prosecutor's Office to learn more about Pearson's role in the indictment.
Pearson was a special operations commander for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. He was placed on administrative leave in April following Lt. Rodney Osborne’s death.
Osborne was fatally shot on April 9 during a training exercise at the Corrections Training Academy in Pickaway County.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the shooting occurred at the tactical firing range, with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction calling it a “tragic accident.”
An autopsy report revealed that Osborne was struck just above his bulletproof vest. OSHP was investigating his death as a reckless homicide.
Osborne worked with the ODRC for 13 years and worked at the Southern Ohio Corrections Facility in Scioto County, according to ODRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith. He was recently named employee of the year at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility where he was the commander of the Special Response Team.
He was laid to rest on April 15.
Pearson is scheduled to appear in Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas on Aug. 7.