HAMTRAMCK (WWJ) A Farmington Hills woman, who was a county employee at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center, is being charged for allegedly sexually assaulting two teenage residents last month.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Svetlana Kuryanova, 33, with two counts of criminal sexual conduct.
“The allegations in this case are among the most disturbing ones that I have seen. It is hard to wrap my brain around the fact that this occurred in the Juvenile Detention Facility, and charged defendant is allegedly responsible for this illegal behavior,” Worthy said in press release.
The alleged assaults of the boys, aged 16 and 17, happened on the night of April 8th at the Hamtramck facility. According to WXYZ, she was working as a juvenile detention specialist.
This is is not the first report of problems at this facility, which has been known for overcrowding. As of March 2023, we reported the 80-bed facility was nearly double its capacity, housing 150 inmates.
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At that same time, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services launched an investigation into the sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy who was living there. In February of 2024, CBS Detroit reported that a state employee brought in to oversee operations was arrested for inappropriately touching a 15-year-old inmate.
Kuryanova’s arraignment is slated for Monday. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Wayne County released the following statement.
“Wayne County will not tolerate the intentional exploitation of our youth. We will continue to prosecute any staff who compromises the safety and preys on the vulnerability of our young people and staff. We remain committed to upholding the integrity of public service.
On April 8, Juvenile Detention Facility staff, that leadership put in place to continuously monitor live video feed of the housing units within the JDF, alerted Facility Supervisors of suspicious activity involving a female staffer and two male residents. The employee was immediately separated from employment with Wayne County. The ensuing investigation resulted in the charges of criminal sexual conduct against the staffer.
This single bad actor is not representative of the values of Wayne County and the hardworking men and women of the Juvenile Detention Facility. Furthermore, she intentionally circumvented policies, procedures, and security measures that have been put into place to ensure the safety and security of the youth in our care.
Wayne County is committed to ensuring that all bad actors are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”