PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio — An Operations Commander from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) has been charged in connection with the tragic death of Lieutenant Rodney Osborne during a training exercise at the Ohio Corrections Academy. David Pearson, the West Regional Operations Commander, faces a charge of negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor, following an indictment by the Pickaway County grand jury.
The Guardian broke the story of the incident that occurred on April 9, 2024, just after 11 a.m. at the ODRC training range in Orient, Pickaway County. Osborne was shot in the chest during a special prison response team exercise. He was transported to Mount Carmel in Grove City but was pronounced dead at the hospital despite resuscitation efforts.
Lieutenant Osborne was a respected 13-year veteran of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) in Lucasville. He supervised correctional officers and was highly regarded within the department. Osborne was a member of SOCF’s honor guard, Special Response Team (SRT), and the statewide STAR team. His colleagues had recently honored him as Employee of the Year.
ODRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith expressed her condolences, saying, “Lt. Osborne was a beloved 13-year employee at SOCF. The Ohio State Highway Patrol Member Support Team and the ODRC Employee Support Teams have been activated and are with our staff.”
