Beltrami County Mother's Years-Long Quest for Justice After Son's Death

A Beltrami County judge last month refused to dismiss manslaughter charges against a former jail nurse in the 2018 death of Hardel Sherrell, keeping alive a criminal case his mother, Del Shea Perry, has waged for nearly eight years.

In a March 12 order, Judge Jeanine Brand found the attorney general's office demonstrated sufficient probable cause for charges against Michelle Rose Skroch, former nursing director for MEnD Correctional Care at the Bemidji jail, to proceed to trial. Skroch, 37, of Sartell, faces second-degree manslaughter and two felony counts of criminal neglect. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed those charges in March 2025, nearly seven years after Sherrell died.

Sherrell, a 27-year-old father of three, died September 2, 2018, on the floor of a Beltrami County Jail cell from complications of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Jail staff repeatedly dismissed his pleas for help, concluding he was faking paralysis. A state Department of Corrections review later documented the failures: missed well-being checks, a two-day gap in vital sign monitoring, and delayed hospital transfer.

Criminal accountability stalled for years in part because Beltrami County Attorney David Hanson faced conflicts of interest, as his office simultaneously represented the county in civil matters related to the death. The county hired the private firm Eckberg and Lammers to review the case rather than referring it to the attorney general, a decision Perry publicly opposed.

Perry secured a $2.6 million civil settlement in February 2023, with Beltrami County paying $500,000 and MEnD Correctional Care paying $2.1 million. She also drove the 2019 Hardel Sherrell Act through the Legislature, tightening medical standards in county jails statewide. Advocates say enforcement of that law remains inadequate.

Skroch's nursing license has been revoked. The state is seeking an aggravated sentence, arguing she abused her position of authority. Skroch has not responded to requests for comment. No trial date has been set, and Perry enters year eight of a fight she describes as a life sentence of her own.