The Grand Traverse County prosecutor wants an outside attorney to handle a county jail suicide case. Alan Halloway hanged himself in the jail this summer.
Prosecutor Bob Cooney is asking Attorney General Bill Schuette to appoint a special prosecutor, because he says he might not appear impartial in the case.
Cooney has advised the county in a lawsuit related to the suicide, and he was the one who charged Halloway with attempted murder this summer.
An investigation by the Michigan Sheriffs Association found that multiple policies and procedures were violated by corrections officers in the suicide. For one, it took corrections officers three hours to find Halloway dead. They were supposed to be doing rounds past Halloway's cell every hour. An officer was fired and another resigned.
If appointed, a special prosecutor would determine if officers should be charged with misconduct.
