Prison guard will not get job back
A former Fayette County Prison guard will not get his job back, according to an arbitration ruling handed down last week. Gerald Hall, 36, of 611/2 Main St., New Salem, was fired from his job after police charged him with taking money from an inmate in exchange for delivering marijuana into the facility. Hall, who maintained he took the money from the inmate because it was contraband, was acquitted after a jury trial.
He later filed a grievance to get his job back, and a hearing was held last month.
“I’m very pleased about the arbiter’s award,” prison Warden Larry Medlock said.
He also commended the work of Select HR attorney Joe Quinn in handling the case.
Since his acquittal last June, Hall has filed a federal lawsuit that claims he was targeted because of his race. The suit names Medlock, former prison official Steven Cmar, Connellsville police officer Ronald Haggerty Jr., and narcotics agent Vincent Vidonish. Fayette County, the city of Connellsville and the prison are also named in the suit.
Hall is a black man, and all of the defendants named are white.
The suit claims that the county, city and prison should have taken greater steps to train the officers or prison officials. Hall also claims that those involved in the investigation knew it was flawed, yet did nothing about it.
The suit, which asks for damages in excess of $75,000, is proceeding through federal court, and all involved have filed motions to dismiss the action. The court has scheduled no date for arguments on those motions to dismiss.