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Prison guard faces charges tied to inmate's death

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A former Michigan prison guard is facing charges stemming from the death of an inmate at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township.

Janika Edmond committed suicide after she was left unsupervised in a shower at the prison last year.

The 25-year-old allegedly told guard Dianna Callahan that she was going to kill herself and asked to be placed in a protective restraint.

Callahan has been accused of ignoring the request and making a joke about Edmond's suicide threats before leaving her alone in a shower. Edmond apparently used her bra to hang herself a short time later.

The state Department of Corrections fired Callahan in March after an internal investigation. Another guardwas also fired, but is not currently facing any charges.

Callahan was arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter and willful neglect of duty earlier this week.

According the Washtenaw County prosecutor's office, "The complaint alleges that the defendant, who was a corrections officer, was grossly negligent in failing, in violation of MDOC policy, to perform a legal duty to timely and properly respond to a threat of suicide made to her by Janika Edmond, and that failure caused the death of Janika Edmond."

An investigation into the incidents surrounding Edmond's death is ongoing.

Copyright 2016 Michigan Radio

Rebecca Kruth is a reporter interning with Aspen Public Radio over the summer of 2013. Originally from Eaton Rapids, Michigan, Rebecca is thrilled to be spending her summer making radio in the mountains. Though she's always been a public radio fan, Rebecca explored several other career paths including teaching high school English before making her way to the airwaves. During her graduate studies at Michigan State University, Rebecca decided radio was where she needed to be and squeezed some journalism courses into her American Studies degree program. After graduation, she snagged internships on the news desk at WKAR, East Lansing and the arts and culture desk at WBEZ, Chicago. When she's not chasing stories, Rebecca enjoys cycling, photography, listening to This American Life and wandering around the country with her husband, James.
Rebecca Kruth
Rebecca Kruth is the host of Weekend Edition and a reporter at Michigan Radio. She first came to the station in 2014 as a Morning Edition intern. After earning degrees in English and American Studies from Michigan State University, Rebecca began her radio career as a newsroom intern at WKAR in East Lansing. She completed additional news internships at WBEZ Chicago and KAJX Aspen. When she’s not on the airwaves, Rebecca enjoys hiking, Korean food and wandering the country with her husband James. She's also Bruce Springsteen's number one fan.