Westmoreland County Prison reviews security protocols after inmate escapes from cell
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — Officials at the Westmoreland County Prison are reviewing security protocols after an inmate escaped from his cell and allegedly assaulted a guard.
Initially, Warden Steve Pelesky said it was believed the inmate used a piece of paper to jam his cell door but told KDKA-TV that after reviewing security footage, it's believed it was officer error. The incident happened on Aug. 9 around 3 a.m.
"In this case, it does appear from the video that this officer didn't pull hard enough on the door to make it, or realize, that the door was not fully secured shut at that time," Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said.
Pelesky said when officers come onto their shifts, the first thing they should do is manually double-check that all the cell doors are latched. Pelesky said it appears a guard did not secure the door like they should have and no one double-checked it.
KDKA-TV asked how often inmates use paper to try to jam the doors, and Pelesky said, "All the time."
"It's definitely true that inmates will try anything, and that's one of the reasons we're always so careful when we discuss the security and operations that happen within the prison. And so, some paper in that mechanism, they have seen that before. We catch it," Chew said.
Pelesky said inmate John Crowe walked out of his cell and exchanged punches with a guard before he was detained again.
"That correction officer did finish working his shift that day. He did stay for another overtime shift before he left," Chew said.
Moving forward, Pelesky and Chew said officials are working to reeducate prison staff to double-check the cell doors.
"We definitely want to make sure that the other inmates, as well as our correction officers, are safe. That they're safe for themselves and that they're safe toward one another. And so it is important that we review this at the upcoming prison board meeting, and we make sure that policies are in place that it won't happen in the future," Chew said.
Chew said the prison board is always looking at how to improve security or make upgrades to the jail.
"Westmoreland County Prison is not an old facility. But at the same time, it's not brand new. So, we are always looking in Westmoreland County at all of our infrastructure and looking at ways to improve it, to make it most efficient because that costs the taxpayers the least amount of dollars in the long run," Chew said.
As for Crowe, he's no stranger to the jail system. In the past 15 years, online dockets show he's been arrested more than a dozen times for a list of charges, including simple assault, harassment, public drunkenness and terroristic threats.
He's now facing aggravated assault and escape charges.
It's unclear if the guard who apparently missed the cell lock will be reprimanded.