By Rich Cholodofsky
Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
GREENSBURG, Pa. — Westmoreland County officials on Monday said guards failed to ensure a cell door was locked, an oversight that led to an inmate’s escape attempt earlier this month.
Three guards were fired by the prison board, although no explanation was given as to the reasons for the terminations. Commissioner Doug Chew , who serves as chairman of the prison board, said the county will not comment on personnel issues.
About 130 guards are on staff at the jail.
Warden Steve Pelesky said findings in a preliminary report incorrectly suggested the inmate tampered the cell door when he stuffed paper into the locking mechanism which led guards to believe it was locked.
“There was no paper. It was officers error and they failed to check the door. The door was never fully secured,” Pelesky said.
Officials said John Michael Crowe, 37, of the village of Rillton in Sewickley Township — walked out of his cell shortly after 3 a.m. on Aug. 12 when he confronted and exchanged punches with a guard. The guard was not seriously injured and was back at work the following day, according to the warden.
County detectives charged Crowe with aggravated assault, simple assault and escape.
Officials declined to say if any guards were reprimanded or suspended as a result of the incident.
Crowe has been an inmate at the jail since January, according to court records. In June, Crowe was sentenced to six to 23 months in jail for resisting arrest and public drunkenness in North Huntingdon. He has additional cases pending, including charges of making terroristic threats, simple assault, strangulation and harassment.
Pelesky last week said that paper stuffed into the door lock fooled the computerized system that controls and monitors the facility’s doors to erroneously reflect that Crowe’s cell was sealed, but conceded guards also failed to manually check to confirm his door was properly latched.
Further investigation determined internal security controls never recorded Crowe’s door as being locked and that guards appeared to violate the jail’s security policy. He did not indicate what led to the initial tampering finding.
“When an officer comes on duty the first thing they should do is ensure every door is locked,” Pelesky said. “Officers are required to go around and check, to tug on the doors, to make sure they are secured,” Pelesky said.
Ryan Perry, president of the United Mine Workers of America Local 522, which represents corrections officers at the jail, did not respond to a request for comment.
The jail can hold up to about 700 inmates. There were 586 inmates in the facility on Monday.
Officials declined to say if any internal operating procedures were altered in the aftermath of the escape attempt. The prison board met for about an hour in a closed door session to discuss personnel issues and security concerns, Chew said.
Commissioner Ted Kopas, citing security concerns, said any adjustment to security protocols will not be made public, but suggested blame for the incident rested with the guards on duty.
“Officers should follow policy. They should follow policy at all times. Every corrections officer should follow the policy,” Kopas said.
___
(c)2024 Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.)
Visit Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.) at www.triblive.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.