Former Youth Home staffer charged with sexual assault, trial pending
HILLSDALE — A former staff member of the Hillsdale County Youth Home is pending trial in the 1st Judicial Circuit Court on numerous charges stemming from alleged inappropriate relationships with juvenile detainees in 2022.
Madelyn Dianne Whitehead, 24, of Hudson, was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, furnishing tobacco to a minor and accosting a child for immoral purposes after a Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office investigation in May 2022.
The Youth Home director at the time received information on May 25 that a staff member had provided a nicotine vape to a juvenile housed at the facility on Steamburg Road in Cambria Township.
The following day, deputies launched their investigation, which uncovered that Whitehead allegedly allowed inappropriate conduct by residents of the facility and engaged in inappropriate relationships with at least two of the juvenile residents.
A search warrant was executed at Whitehead’s home on July 26 and she was arrested.
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The courts are waiting on transcripts from a preliminary examination hearing held previously in the 2B District Court before a trial date is set for this summer.
Whitehead posted a $24,500 bond for her pretrial release through a surety company following her arraignment.
She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted as charged.
— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Former Youth Home staffer charged with sexual assault, trial pending
