Mirror file photo

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Blair County Prison Board has followed through on the appointment of Deputy Warden Shaun Edmundson to serve as acting warden.

The board approved Edmundson’s appointment during its monthly meeting Thursday and set the effective date of June 9, the day Warden Abbie Tate emailed a resignation letter that was effective immediately.

While Tate’s letter had no explanation, it arrived five days after inmate David D. Ramos of Altoona temporarily escaped by hiding in a transport van until it was parked outside the prison. Tate’s resignation also follows a series of incidents and operational issues tied to inmate overcrowding, aged equipment, ongoing maintenance, assaults and contraband, including drugs and hooch.

The prison board, which met publicly for about 15 minutes Thursday morning at the prison, subsequently adjourned to an executive session, which lasted about an hour.

Chairman Dave Kessling said the executive session would focus on security matters involving the prison building and prison personnel. Based on the state’s Sunshine Law and related court rulings, governing boards must announce why they’re meeting in executive session and offer enough specificity for the public to decide if an objection is warranted.

Prior to meeting in executive session, District Attorney Pete Weeks, who sits on the prison board, spoke of his anticipation of working with prison board members on what he described as his request “for clearer policies, procedures and sanctions for (prison) employees.”

Weeks also spoke of doing some research into the roles of the prison board, the commissioners and the county human resources department.

State law governing county prison operation assigns the task of designating a prison warden to the prison board composed of a county’s three commissioners, its controller, sheriff, district attorney and president judge.

While commissioners in some counties have taken on that responsibility, Blair County has a history of relying on the prison board to handle the task.

The last time the warden’s post was vacant, the prison board formed a search committee of Judge Daniel Milliron, who chaired the prison board at that time, plus prison board members A.C. Stickel, controller, and Ted Beam Jr., commissioner. Acting Warden Mitch Cooper was also on the search committee that combed through about 80 job applications and identified 22 applicants meeting minimum requirements the state Department of Corrections identified. The prison board subsequently appointed Tate, then a deputy warden, to the post.

Kessling said Monday that the county will take steps to advertise the warden’s position. As approved Thursday, Edmundson is expected to remain in the post until a new warden is named. Based on the county’s current practice, the salary board will likely approve a 5% increase in pay while he is acting warden.

Also during the public portion of the prison board meeting, Kessling thanked the sheriff’s department for making its transport van available on Wednesday to move inmates between the prison and Central Court in Altoona.

Kessling later explained that prior use of the DUI Task Force van for transporting county prison inmates has to end because it’s not equipped for that purpose. Ramos’ escape charge indicates that he was able to remain undetected inside the DUI Task Force van while seven fellow inmates got out and went back into the prison. Ramos subsequently got out of the van after it was moved into the county’s parking garage.

Kessling said the pair of corrections officers who were transporting Ramos were suspended after the escape. Further disciplinary action will be subject to the rules outlined in their union contract.

Kessling also said Thursday that he’s beginning to collect information on the potential purchase of a properly equipped van for the prison to use when transporting inmates. Online retailers show those vans can vary in size, with common features including bars or wire mesh on the windows, segregated compartments, emergency exit hatches and radio communication units with GPS tracking.

Kessling said the prison has a four-passenger transport van that it could trade in for a larger version. He said the county may have some additional vehicles that it could trade to further defray the cost.

“It’s not budgeted, but we’ve got to do something,” the commissioner said.