3 WESTMORELAND PRISON OFFICERS SUSPENDED

Security Lapses Linked To In-Jail Drug Operation

Two lieutenants and a sergeant at the Westmoreland County Prison were
suspended yesterday as the result of a recent report from state
Attorney General Mike Fisher, who charged that security was lacking
and some guards at the institution had helped a convicted drug gang
boss continue to run his operation while he was there awaiting trial.

The suspensions without pay were announced after a closed-door
executive session of nearly 21/2 hours during which the county Prison
Board also listened to a proposal from a private company interested in
taking over management of the 440-bed facility in Hempfield.

The board has been looking for someone to head the prison since Dec.
21 when it fired Warden Kurt Scalzott, also as a result of the state
report, after a lengthy executive session. Sheriff Chris Scherer, a
member of the board, has taken over as interim warden.

County Commissioner Tom Ceraso, Prison Board chairman, yesterday
refused to name the officers who were suspended, the length of the
suspensions or the exact reasons for the suspensions, but he said
there could be more punishments meted out to wayward guards.

"As we find things out and we continue to look at this," Ceraso said,
"we'll probably be looking at other types of discipline."

Besides the hiring of a new warden or management firm, the six-member
Prison Board is considering asking an outside agency -- possibly the
National Institute of Corrections -- to conduct an independent review
of operations at the prison.

Fisher announced the results of a grand jury investigation into the
prison on Dec. 20, the same day arrest warrants were issued for one of
the guards and about 20 other persons suspected of participating in
inmate Ronald Whethers' heroin/cocaine/marijuana operation.

Another guard and six other persons, including Whethers and his
daughter, were arrested earlier, after state police raided the prison
June 22.

Besides discussing the guards' discipline, the board yesterday
listened to a proposal from Cornell Companies Inc. of Houston, a firm
that provides private institutional, pre-release and juvenile services
at 71 facilities in 13 states.

Ceraso said two other firms had expressed interest in managing the
prison, but the board also was advertising for applications from
potential wardens.

He said the discussion with Cornell qualified as an executive session
because personnel issues were included.

Since Fisher went public with the report, the board has met twice
before, once behind closed doors for about five hours and the second
time in public for about 15 minutes.