The wife of a Nisswa man who died last year in the Crow Wing County jail has filed a federal lawsuit against the county and a correctional officer.

Robert Slaybaugh, 57, was booked into the jail on Feb. 22, 2024, on suspicion of drunk driving. He was found unresponsive in his cell later the same evening. A medical examiner ruled his death suicide by hanging.

The lawsuit was filed last week in U.S. District Court on behalf of Susan Slaybaugh, his wife of 32 years. It claims the county and correctional officer Brandon Anderson ignored red flags indicating Slaybaugh's need for medical and mental health care, including severe intoxication and a prior suicide attempt.

The lawsuit also says Slaybaugh was placed in a cell with a bunk bed that the Minnesota Department of Corrections had identif

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