The warden at Michigan’s only prison for women is on leave, state officials confirmed Wednesday, amid ongoing investigations into the recent deaths of three inmates at the facility in Washtenaw County.
Warden Jeremy Howard of the Huron Valley Correctional Facility is “temporarily on personal leave,” the Michigan Department of Corrections said in a statement.
Huron Valley has come under fire in recent months over reports from advocates, inmates and elected officials alleging inadequate medical and mental-health care, poor living conditions and mistreatment of incarcerated women, prompting renewed calls for oversight and reform.
Three Huron Valley inmates — Khaira Howard, 28, Rebecca Fackler, 57, and Ashley Hoath, 36 — died within less than a month of one another, the latest on June 6. MDOC is investigating the circumstances surrounding the women’s deaths.
During a February hearing at the state Capitol, state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, testified that when she visited Huron Valley to check on its conditions, she pointed out black spots near the ceiling in the shower room to Howard.
The warden responded by telling her the spot were not mold, but black paint, then offered to eat it in front of her.
Howard has served as warden at the prison since at least January 2020, according to the state’s Corrections Connection publication. He was previously the deputy warden at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson.
While he’s on leave, Michelle Floyd is serving as warden at Huron Valley, MDOC said. Floyd has 30 years of experience with the department, including six and a half years as warden at Cooper Street Correctional Facility, a men’s prison in Jackson.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Warden at Michigan women’s prison on personal leave
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Max Reinhart, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
