LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released new findings after the death of a Muskegon man in April of 2019.
According to a press release, Paul Bulthouse, 39, died while being held at the Muskegon County Jail.
“The loss of human life is a tragedy,” said Nessel. “It is the responsibility of my office to determine whether that loss was the result of an unfortunate set of circumstances or because of a criminal act. While there is little the Department of Attorney General can do to provide comfort to the families of these two men, it is our duty and responsibility to perform a thorough investigation of each instance and pursue criminal charges, where appropriate.”
Bulthouse, 39, had been found unresponsive in his cell and was pronounced dead soon after in April 2019.
An autopsy report said Bulthouse’s cause of death was Status epilepticus, which is an epileptic seizure. The report also said that Bulthouse also suffered from high blood pressure and heart disease, and also chronic alcohol use.
Five people were charged in his death:
Deputy Sgt. David Vanderlaan
Deputy Jeffrey Patterson
Deputy Crystal Greve
Deputy Jamal Lane
Former Wellpath Registered Nurse Aubrey Schotts
“Mr. Bulthouse died of gross neglect and due to complete disregard for human life by five individuals who were within feet of him but never acted to assist him,” said Nessel. “The safety of an individual in the custody of law enforcement is their responsibility. The lack of action taken to address Mr. Bulthouse in his time of medical need was criminal.”
Nessel also released details following the death of a Lansing man, Anthony Scott Hulon, 54, died, who also died in police custody. On Saturday, his family and others gathered in Lansing to mark a year following his death.
