ST. MARYS — Lawyers are now involved in the deadly building collapse that happened in Auglaize County over the summer.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, the collapse happened at a building along East Spring Street in St. Marys on July 31.
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The Auglaize County Prosecutor Ben Elder told News Center 7’s I-Team that his office is in the process of reviewing July’s deadly building collapse to see whether anything about it was criminal.
Elder said his office got the St. Marys police investigation into the collapse “within the last month.”
St. Marys police chief confirmed to the I-Team that the department sent the investigative file to the prosecutor’s office.
Elder said he’s waiting on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) report so he can have all the information before making a final charging decision.
He said his office has been in touch with OSHA about getting a copy of that report.
OSHA fined and cited the building’s owner, Todd Klosterman, in mid-November.
On Monday, the federal agency confirmed that it has concluded its inspection of the collapse that killed Chris Brown.
“The family hired me to investigate the circumstances of Chris being killed,” Attorney Michael Wright said.
Wright told the I-Team that he’s now working on a wrongful death case for Brown’s family.
He sent a letter to Klosterman.
“His lawyer has reached out. He asked for a little time to respond,” Wright said.
Wright told the I-Team what he wrote in the letter and said this wrongful death case isn’t headed to court for now.
“We’re giving them the opportunity to resolve this with the estate of Christopher Brown and if they are not interested in a pre-suit resolution, then we will file a wrongful death lawsuit,” Wright said.
As the I-Team previously reported, Brown and Kevin Sharp were working for Klosterman when the structure caved.
Sharp survived the collapse and previously said the pair was working to shore up a wall so a mason contractor could repair it.
Miami County officials oversee building permitting in St. Marys.
They said after Brown’s death, the department investigated the work being done when the building caved and found out it was not permitted.
News Center 7’s John Bedell reached out to Klosterman’s lawyer on Monday about the wrongful death case and OSHA citation. He didn’t receive a response.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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