Dustin Irwin, 1989-2014. Photo from Facebook

A sheriff and a retired captain in a North Dakota county have been charged in connection with the death of a young member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation.

Dustin Irwin was 25 years old when he died on October 6, 2014. He had been in the custody of Ward County but Sheriff Steven Kukowski and Captain Michael Nason, who retired last month as the investigation was underway, are now being accused of failing to seek care for the inmate.

“According to Kukowski, Irwin was not transported to get medical attention immediately because of ‘dollars and cents,” an affidavit filed in state court reads, the Associated Press reported.

Kukowski failed to keep the jail in proper conditions and it has been under state oversight since December 2014, the AP reported. Despite the severity of the situation, he and Nason are only facing misdemeanor charges for Irwin's death.

According to Country Road Chronicles Of West Segment, a newspaper published by the West Segment on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, Irwin loved to ride horses and his Indian name was “Obi Xu’ ba’ sh" (Sacred Tobacco). His also was Navajo, the paper said.

Get the Story:
Sheriff faces misdemeanor after dying inmate didn’t get care (AP 2/19)
Ward County Sheriff, Retired Capt. Face Charges in Inmate Death (KSFY 2/19)
Sheriff Charged Over Jail Conditions, Inmate Death (KXNews 2/19)