By Charles E. Ramirez
The Detroit News
DETROIT — A former Michigan Department of Corrections officer accused of facilitating an inmate’s assault on a prison guard this year has been charged, officials said.
Shelby Pennock was arraigned last Tuesday in the 97th District Court in Baraga, Michigan State Police said.
The 44-year-old L’Anse resident is charged with assault of a prison employee, according to authorities.
A judge set Pennock’s bond at $500 and scheduled her next court hearing for Aug. 11 , state police said.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison or a $2,500 fine.
Pennock’s attorney, Joshua Makkonen , said Tuesday that he had no comment on the case.
The incident
Authorities said the assault on the corrections officer occurred on March 28 at the Baraga Correctional Facility.
Pennock was working alongside the victim, according to investigators. They allege she opened an inmate’s cell doors while the victim was performing a separate task, knowing it would result in an assault on the officer.
State police said after she opened the door, an inmate exited the cell and attacked her co-worker. The inmate put the victim in a headlock and repeatedly struck him in the head and upper body with a fist, according to detectives. Other corrections officers came to the victim’s aid and subdued the inmate, investigators said.
Officials said the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities said the inmate also assaulted Pennock, inflicting non-life-threatening injuries.
Michigan Department of Corrections staff reported the incident to the state police, which investigated.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have also charged the inmate, but his arraignment is pending. He has been charged with assault of a prison employee and possession of a weapon by a prisoner.
Other MDOC staffers charged
Pennock’s case follows others in which former corrections officers were accused of committing crimes while on the job.
A former women’s prison corrections officer convicted of criminal sexual conduct for having sex with inmates at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility was sentenced last month to 18 months to 15 years in prison.
In May, a former corrections officer pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually abusing a female inmate at a Detroit halfway house.
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