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A corrections officer has been charged for allegedly helping a half-dozen inmates carry out an assault at the Blair County Prison.
Dalton R. Zeiders, 23, of 14048 S. Eagle Valley Road, Tyrone, is charged with felony counts of criminal conspiracy and assault of a prisoner along with misdemeanor charges that include official oppression, unlawful restraint and recklessly endangering another person stemming from allegations by Hollidaysburg Borough police that Zeiders not only turned a blind eye but also let inmates out of their cells to carry out an assault of a fellow prisoner on March 16.
According to the charges, Zeiders was on duty on Block E when six inmates lured a fellow inmate into a cell and sexually assaulted him while attempting to retrieve a bag of contraband tobacco from the man's rectum. Those six inmates -- Dalaun Carroll, 28; Charles Frank, 43; Zachary Moore, 24; Allen Grager, 22; Curtis "Tank" Ramsey, 31; and Maurice "Wayne" Wakefield II, 24; were charged in May and are awaiting trial for their alleged roles in the incident, which sent a fellow inmate to the hospital. Two other inmates who were witnesses were also assaulted that night.
Surveillance footage from the prison shows Carroll walking back and forth between the cell where the assault took place and Zeider's station -- called the "bubble."
During questioning, Carroll told investigators that he told Zeiders the inmates' plan to get the tobacco from the other inmate if the man would not give it up voluntarily.
Police allege the inmates used a "shank" to threaten the inmate, and while Carroll and Ramsey stood as lookouts, Frank put on rubber gloves to dig for the tobacco and at one point used toothbrushes to sexually assault the alleged victim.
"Carroll stated that C.O. Zeiders seemed excited and was adamant about learning all the details of the assault," Hollidaysburg police Officer Richard Oldham wrote in the charges. "Carroll states that, after hearing the details, C.O. Zeiders told Carroll to make sure the cell was cleaned up, and specifically, that no blood remain so that he (C.O. Zeiders) would not have to do any paperwork."
The incident started at about 9:20 p.m. when the side of the cellblock that housed the inmates implicated in the assault should have been locked in their cells. Police noted video footage has Zeiders slowly locking down cells up until 9:57 and at one point stops at cell No. 9, which belongs to Wakefield and Frank, although they are not there and are actually in cell
No. 1.
When the inmate that is assaulted walks by him after the alleged incident, Zeiders does not acknowledge him and continues to walk from cell to cell. As the inmates who are in cell
No. 1 filter back to their respective cells, Zeiders locks them back inside until at just before 10 p.m., he locks the last cell -- cell No. 1 where the assault took place.
"Obviously, we plan to vigorously defend what we believe to be false accusations," Zeiders' attorney, Thomas Dickey, said on Tuesday. "Any information that has been provided up to this point is false and is meant to shift the blame from those criminals who are involved."
Dickey said his client has no prior record and is upset by what he says are false accusations.
"Common sense would tell you, what would my client gain from this," Dickey asked. "My client would gain nothing by conspiring with these guys."
Blair County records show Zeiders, who had been on paid suspension while the investigation was ongoing, was moved to unpaid suspension on July 6.
Zeiders was arraigned Monday by Magisterial District Judge Paula Aigner, and he remains free on an unsecured $150,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in Hollidaysburg District Court.
Mirror Staff Writer Greg Bock is at 946-7458.