The corrections officer taken hostage by an armed inmate on Monday at Wilmot Prison is being praised for her response to the situation.  

Inmate Timothy Monk used a modified disposable razor to take Kennedy hostage. He demanded a transfer to a Montana prison in exchange for the officer's safe release. Laurel Kennedy, a single mother of four, walked away after being held hostage for six hours. Monk was sent to Florence state prison.

Warden Greg Fizer says, "She did an extraordinary job in the face of the situation."

Kennedy has only been on the job with the Department of Corrections for one year.

“She remained calm and collected in thought. She did not show adverse emotion," Fizer says.