ALBION — Kosciusko County Jail Commander Shane Coney has been named in a wrongful death lawsuit after an inmate at the Noble County Jail hanged himself Oct. 4, 2017.

Coney, who was the Noble County jail commander at the time, is being sued along with Sheriff Doug Harp and jail staff.

Coney began as the Kosciusko County jail commander Tuesday.

The complaint in the case was filed Nov. 1, more than a year after the inmate died, according to a Kendallville News Sun article dated Dec. 28. The civil suit has since been removed from the county court to the federal district court for northern Indiana in Fort Wayne, the News Sun states.

The suit was filed following the death of 23-year-old Markus Middleton, of Albion, who died while in being held at the county jail.

The Associated Press reports Middleton, who was gay, killed himself in the jail after being denied mental health treatment and enduring harassment over his sexuality.

Middleton's partner brought the lawsuit against the Noble County's sheriff, jail commander and jail staff.

The Kendallville News-Sun reports that Middleton hanged himself in October 2017 after spending 23 days in the jail following his arrest on misdemeanor charges of false informing and resisting law enforcement.

The suit contends the Albion man was "continuously mocked, harassed, threatened and denied mental health treatment" even though jail officials were told Middleton suffered from bipolar disorder and serious depression.

Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes was unavailable for comment late this morning.