Tilghman

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Five Blair County corrections officers were fired in the wake of an in-house investigation into the December escape of inmate Isaiah Tilghman Jr., 33, who remains at large.

Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling and Warden Abbie Tate said Thursday that the recent firings were the result of Tilghman’s escape.

In examining how the escape happened, Tate said that “procedural issues” were identified, which led to the firings.

According to Kessling, if the prison’s policies and procedures had been followed, Tilghman might not have been able to escape or his escape might have been discovered earlier.

Because no criminal charges have been filed against corrections officers in connection with the inmates’ escape, the Mirror is choosing at this time not to publish their names.

Their union representative, David Cary Jr. of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said he didn’t have a response for the Mirror’s inquiries because the matter is considered to be active.

On March 12, Kessling and fellow commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke voted in favor of terminating six corrections officers — effective between Feb. 28 and March 7 — and indicated that the action was security related.

Kessling said Thursday that five of the six corrections officers were faulted “for actions or inactions” contributing to the inmate being able to escape.

The sixth one, Kessling said, had nothing to do with the escape and was terminated for another reason.

Hollidaysburg police charged Tilghman in December with felony charges of escape and flight to avoid apprehension after an investigation revealed that he got into a ventilation shaft and used a homemade rope of prison clothing to get access to an unsecured window and roof.

Charges filed against Tilghman indicated that prison personnel reported him missing from an inmate count at 12:15 p.m. Dec. 3. While Tilghman was reported to be in his cell at 7:15 a.m. on Dec. 3, that later proved to be inaccurate based on a surveillance video showing Tilghman, at 2:45 a.m. Dec. 3, was stealing a truck in the Lakemont area.

The U.S. Marshals Service reported finding the stolen Ford F-150 truck on Dec. 15 on the 2600 block of South Front Street in Philadelphia. No further information has been made available about Tilghman’s potential whereabouts.

Tips are to be reported to 1-866-865-8477.

When arrested in Blair County in May on drug-trafficking offenses, Tilghman was identified with addresses in Philadelphia and State College.

Charges indicate that Tilghman, prior to his arrest, had a bag at the Altoona Grand Hotel with drugs valued at more than $100,000, including 3,150 individual packets of fentanyl, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, powdered cocaine and $6,000 in cash. At the time of his arrest, Tilghman was also wanted on arrest warrants issued in Centre County.

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