PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio prison employee charged with negligent homicide in the death of a corrections officer appeared in Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday.
David Pearson, 44, was indicted on the misdemeanor charge by a grand jury on July 12.
During his court appearance, he pleaded not guilty to the negligent homicide charge and waived his right to a speedy trial. The judge also ordered him to stay away from Lt. Rodney Osborne's family.
Pearson was a special operations commander for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. He was placed on administrative leave following Lt. Rodney Osborne’s death on April 9.
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.
Mark Kitrick, the attorney representing Osborne's family, said family members are upset with how the entire case is being handled. He added that state officials and the judge have not said details on what led to Osborne's shooting death.
"We don't know anything yet. We don't even know what happened exactly. We don't understand how you can make this a misdemeanor when it's a state and federal crime," Kitrick said.
He said they still don’t have a narrative of what exactly happened that day and how prosecutors arrived at the misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide.
A hearing for Pearson's trial is scheduled for December. If convicted, he could face 180 days in county jail and $1,000 in fines.