Guard To Face Trial For Ignoring Inmate's Threat Of Suicide

PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A judge has ordered a prison guard to stand trial in the death of a Michigan inmate who killed herself.

Judge J. Cedric Simpson says he's never seen a "clearer case" of neglect of duty.

Dianna Callahan of Flint appeared in court near Ann Arbor on Thursday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and willful neglect of duty. She's accused of failing to properly respond to a suicide threat made by Janika Edmond at a prison for women.

Edmond yelled for a suicide-prevention vest but didn't get one. She killed herself in 2015.

The judge says Callahan might have left the immediate area before Edmond hanged herself but she likely heard the threat. Defense attorney William Hatchett says Callahan remains "devastated" by what happened.

She was fired by the Corrections Department.

© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.