CMU student will be sentenced July 10 in child's drowning death at Kewadin Village Apartments
Central Michigan University student Grace Hunt appears before a judge and is formally presented with the two felony charges by the state Jan. 28 at Isabella Trial Court.
A Central Michigan University student will be sentenced next month in the September drowning death of her 14-month-old child.
Grace Hunt, 22, appeared June 1 in Isabella County Trial Court. She pleaded no contest to one count of involuntary manslaughter. Hunt has no previous criminal history.
Her sentencing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on July 10 in Judge Eric Janes courtroom. Hunt will receive a one-year delayed sentence during which she will be on probation. If she follows probation for the whole year, her charge will be reduced to child abuse four, she will be discharged and serve no jail time.
Isabella County Prosecutor David Barberi said Hunt's sentence was determined by the fact that there was no clear criminal intent in her actions.
"Jail wasn’t going to serve any purpose in this case," Barberi said. "It’s just one of those terrible accidents where someone was not diligent when she put her baby in a bathtub."
CMU police responded to the toddler's drowning at 8:50 p.m. Sept. 13 in Kewadin Village Apartments, 301 W. Broomfield St., an on-campus apartment complex for students. Hunt said she was giving both her two-year-old and 14-month-old a bath when she left them alone in the bath tub for about 10 minutes. When she returned her 14-month-old was unresponsive.
Bystanders attempted CPR on the girl until first responders arrived. The girl was taken to McLaren Central Michigan Hospital by ambulance where she was pronounced dead.
After nearly five months of investigation, Hunt was arraigned on Jan. 28 at Isabella County Trial Court on charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse.
