Jan 22, 2016 By Jon Stevens, For The Greene County Messenger 3 min read

WAYNESBURG — Still reeling from the ignominy of Waylon Hanlan’s brazen escape from the Greene County Jail Dec. 27, Warden Harry Gillispie informed members of the county prison board Wednesday that he is looking into a proposal to have the fence surrounding the jail electrified.

Gillispie said an electrified wire would be installed near the razor and barbed wire that presently encircles the fences at the facility off Rolling Meadows Road in Franklin Township.

“If someone climbed to the top of the fence tried to leap over the barbed and razor wire there would be another wire, this one with 7,000 volts that would send a shock every two seconds,” Gillispie said. “If someone grabbed that wire, it would knock him back inside.”

The company is called Electric Guard Dog and Gillispie said he would be looking at a lease proposal; however, the prison board would have to approve the proposal. He also said it is his understanding that Greene County would be the only jail in Pennsylvania to have an electrified fence.

With respect to Hanlan’s escape, he said personnel monitoring security cameras in G-Block — where Hanlan, as a minimum security inmate, was housed — noticed a light in one of two restrooms was not on. “And both of them are always to be on,’ Gillispie said.

Hanlan, Gillispie said, had taken a blade from a razor and slit a hole in the tent-like structure that is G-Block. He was able to crawl through and make his way to the fence, climb it, throw a blanket over the razor and barbed wire and jump down on the other side.

Meanwhile, corrections officers were notified about the light being out and when they went to investigate they saw Hanlan had breached the fence and was fleeing on foot.

“The officers were not able to get to the fence in time,” Gillipsie said. “And they are armed with just a Taser and pepper spray.”

The warden did say the staff followed all the procedures and that law enforcement personnel worked well together.

With respect to the security cameras, Gillispie said they have a three to five-second delay.

“We have been in touch with Morgantown Security and Fire about new cameras that would record in real time,” he said.

Hanlan, 27, was apprehended Dec. 31 near his family home in Dilliner. He had been incarcerated since Dec. 11 and was serving a 9 to 23 ½-month sentence on a probation violation for simple assault and eluding police.

Gillispie said state police in Waynesburg are continuing with the investigation into the escape.