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Family of man who died of dehydration in Michigan Prison say fight for justice not over

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Family of man who died of dehydration in Michigan Prison say fight for justice not over


Eight people have been charged in connection with the death of a Michigan prison inmate Jon Lancaster, who died in custody of dehydration.
  
The state attorney general says what happened to Lancaster at the Alger Correctional Facility in the Upper Peninsula was a preventable tragedy.In the meantime, his family says they are not done fighting for justice.

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Lancaster’s sister and daughter were surprised to hear six people including the warden and deputy warden of the prison were charged with involuntary manslaughter, a 15-year felony. Two officers were also charged with felony misconduct in office.

But they say the fight now turns to changing the law in Lansing – before this can happen to someone else.

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“Step by step, brick by brick, we are going to take the system apart and reform it,” said Danielle Dunn, his sister.

In 2013 Lancaster was arrested and pleaded guilty to armed robbery of a 7-Eleven. He died serving that sentence.

“He was moved to the UP, to Alger, placed in solitary confinement since the week of Christmas, late Christmas week, and left there essentially,” Dunn said.

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Lancaster was denied mental and medical care, detailed in a successful lawsuit.

“He was placed in an observation cell where he was restrained and essentially left to die over the weekend,” she said.

He was left to the point where he died of dehydration.

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“They refer to it as a hunger strike, but he believed he was being poisoned. They document that over and over,” she said.

His death was on March 11th, 2019 after he was first put in solitary confinement in December 2018.

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“Jonathan made his share of his mistakes – he was paying for those mistakes with the sentence he was serving,” Dunn said. “He did not deserve to die in the manner that he did.”

“It’s still there, you can’t forget about it,” said his daughter Breanna Lancaster. “It’s not easy. I don’t have a dad. I will never have a dad.”

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Former warden, 7 other Michigan prison employees charged in inmate’s death

Breanna never got to say goodbye to her father. On Wednesday she went to his gravesite to tell him about the eight people charged in connection with his death.

“I had to bring flowers for the celebration of the charges being pressed,” she said.

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And to be reminded – there is still a fight to be had.

“Eventually to end solitary confinement,” Lancaster said. “It’s inhumane, disgusting. Nothing to be a human being in regardless if they are an inmate or not.”

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It is one her aunt has been fighting for years, trying to get a law on books to end solitary confinement in Michigan prisons.

“We’d like to see both sides work together on this it’s a humanity issue,” Dunn said. “It’s not a party issue.”

So far the Lancaster family is working with lawmakers to get a bill to the floor for a vote. If you want to help in this effort you can visit justiceforjonny.com

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Breanna Lancaster, left, Danielle Dunn. Inset: Jon Lancaster

Breanna Lancaster, left, Danielle Dunn. Inset: Jon Lancaster



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Michigan

Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Spartans’ Win Over Washington

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Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Spartans’ Win Over Washington


No. 16 Michigan State just keeps winning, and it’s doing so against quality Big Ten teams.

The Spartans steamrolled Washington at the Breslin Center on Thursday, besting the visitors, 88-54. They did so in front of a vibrant home crowd on what was the annual Alumni Night.

With the victory, Michigan State improves to 13-2 on the year, 4-0 in Big Ten play and 8-0 on its home court. It is also extended its win streak to eight games.

Our Aidan Champion recaps the win on this postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.

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You can watch the episode below:

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo addressed the media after Thursday’s contest.

Below is a partial transcript from Izzo’s opening statement:

Izzo: “Well, when you have a game like that, it’s hard to even know what to say except — that was Matt Larson that said it walking up the steps — I hope every media person, every alum, every student and every fan, appreciates the specialness we have here. The alumni reunions that we have every year are incredible, but for that many former Izzone members to come back over 20 and 30 years was special. Special for me, I think special for my team. And I almost felt sorry for Washington; I mean, they probably thought they were coming in here and there’d be no students. And that group was so good and so fired up; there was no entitlement, none of them left, none of them transferred. They were unbelievable. And I could have stayed there for a half hour after and thanked each and every one of them. But in all the things that happen, please appreciate that this place is different. It’s different. You can say it about places all over — this place is damn different. And I’m just thankful for them, I’m thankful for our marketing people, I’m thankful for our Izzone coach and I’m thankful for all the people that put in the work to get this thing done. I don’t want to make it bigger than the game, but for Tom Izzo, it’s bigger than the game. And when Matt said it to me walking up the steps, I thought it was special.”

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

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Michigan State football lands Division II transfer WR Rodney Bullard from Valdosta State

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Michigan State football lands Division II transfer WR Rodney Bullard from Valdosta State


Jonathan Smith continues to replenish his roster and Michigan State football’s receiver room.

The Spartans picked up a pledge Thursday from wideout Rod Bullard, a transfer from Division II Valdosta State in Georgia. The 6-foot, 170-pound native of Albany, Georgia, has two years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2022 and playing 28 games the past two seasons.

As a sophomore in the fall, Bullard caught 42 passes for 1,001 yards with 12 touchdowns and an average of 23.8 yards per catch. The Blazers lost to Ferris State in the Division II national title game, and Bullard had three catches for 15 yards in the 49-14 loss.

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In 2023, he had 43 catches for 566 yards and seven scores and returned 16 kicks for a 24.8-yard average with a 99-yard touchdown return.

Bullard is the 14th transfer and third incoming receiver, joining Chrishon McCray (Kent State) and Omari Kelly (Middle Tennessee State). The Spartans lost wideouts Jaron Glover (Mississippi State), Jaelen Smith (Texas-San Antonio), Aziah Johnson (North Carolina) and Antonio Gates Jr. (undecided) among 13 outbound transfers from their 2024 team that finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game for the third straight season.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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 Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple PodcastsSpotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.





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Michigan basketball signee enrolls early, will practice with team

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Michigan basketball signee enrolls early, will practice with team


A member of the Michigan men’s basketball 2025 recruiting class is already on campus.

Oscar Goodman, a 6-foot-7 forward from New Zealand, is enrolled for the winter semester, which started on Wednesday, a team spokesperson said. Goodman will not appear in games this season but will be allowed to practice and participate in other team activities.

The spokesperson said this was not a typical “reclassification” — when an athlete graduates early and competes in college a season ahead of a typical schedule — but a byproduct of New Zealand’s school calendar.

Goodman will be listed as a freshman on the roster (he wasn’t listed on the online version as of Thursday morning) and a redshirt freshman next season. The rest of the Wolverines returned to campus on Wednesday after a week-long stay in Los Angeles, where they beat USC and UCLA.

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“Oscar arrives in Ann Arbor as an accomplished international player and prospect, who was just named to the New Zealand senior national team,” Michigan coach Dusty May said in a statement upon Goodman’s signing in November.

“He comes from a tight-knit family that values everything that we want our program to be about. His training at the NBA (Global) Academy, as well as his eagerness and ability to compete, will allow him to affect our program positively from day one.”

Goodman, from Opunake, is ranked as the No. 75 player in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports composite. He was an all-star at the 2024 FIBA under-17 World Cup after averaging 17 points, 6.3 rebounds, and three assists per game.

Michigan’s 2025 class also includes Orchard Lake St. Mary’s guard Trey McKenney, the No. 1 player in Michigan and No. 19 prospect nationally, and wing Winters Grady (No. 82), an Oregon native currently playing for Prolific Prep in Napa, California. They figure to arrive in Ann Arbor in the summer.

  • BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.



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