Victim describes assault in county prison

Man was allegedly beaten for cellmate’s commissary items

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- A 40-year-old Altoona man told a Blair County jury on Monday that when he was a county prison inmate last year, his face was beaten so badly that he had to have jaw surgery and remains unable to close his eyes to sleep.

The pain, the former inmate said, was beyond anything he had experienced.

"Ten times worse," the man testified.

Two current inmates charged in connection with the beating, John Allen Jukes Jr. and Richard Allen Ewing, went on trial Monday in Blair County Court where they are accused of being part of a conspiracy to keep the beating victim's cellmate from setting up a commissary.

The cellmate also sustained injuries including three broken teeth when he was pushed to the rear of the cell. The incident developed, the cellmate said, after Ewing and Jukes confronted him about buying a commissary from an inmate who got transferred to a state prison. He said he got the commissary -- with snacks and other items -- for about 60% of its value.

At that time, the inmate said Ewing was also running a commissary on E-block.

The jury on Monday saw prison video, recorded on Sept. 15, 2022, when the inmate was beaten inside his E-block cell.

Several inmates, including Ewing and Jukes, were shown carrying plastic cups of prison "hooch" around the tables located outside inmate cells. Jurors also watched video of then prison corrections officer Eric Dostal unlocking the cell door which allowed Jukes and fellow inmates Delano Brown, Kyler Luckadoo and Korey Sitton to gain access to the cell where there are no cameras.

The inmate who was beaten said when Dostal unlocked the door, he heard Ewing tell Jukes to "Take it," meaning that Jukes was expected to take his cellmate's commissary items.

The inmate said he sensed the tension and attempted to leave the cell when Jukes struck him in the jaw, then grabbed his shirt and struck his nose and cheeks, causing him to fall to the floor. The cellmate said Brown, Luckadoo and Sitton also struck the fallen inmate, but Sitton denied that accusation when testifying.

The cellmate said the beating generated a lot of blood.

"He completely soaked a couple of sheets and towels," the cellmate testified.

District Attorney Pete Weeks advised the jurors in his opening that while they won't hear of Ewing causing any injuries, they should hold him accountable for his role in what happened.

Ewing is represented by defense attorney Scott Pletcher.

Defense attorney Robert Donaldson, in representing Jukes, asked the jurors to pay attention to the prison video.

"Make sure you interpret it yourself, not based on what somebody else says is on the screen," Donaldson said.

The trial is expected to last through Wednesday.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.