Westmoreland County, Pa., Prison Warden Kurt Scalzott was fired recently, a little more than 24 hours after the release of a state grand jury report detailing gaping security lapses at the institution where a convicted drug-ring boss had so much control of the operation that the inmate was referred to as the 'little warden.'
The county prison board named first-term Sheriff Chris Scherer to head the prison on an interim basis with the aid of Deputy Warden Bill Whirlow, who agreed to help Scherer until a new warden or prison-management company is hired.
The board also ordered its attorney, Tom Pellis, to seek transcripts from the Harrisburg grand jury investigation in order to look into possible disciplinary action against other prison employees who were unnamed in the report.
State police raided the facility in June and arrested seven people, including inmate Ronald Whethers and officer Anthony Shawley, for running a drug ring there.
A grand jury investigation found that drugs and other contraband were readily available at the prison because of a lack of security and that some officers had been corrupted by the prisoners.
Scalzott, 44, went to work part time at the old Westmoreland County Detention Center in Greensburg in 1978, began working full time in 1980 and was named warden in 1985. This year, he made about $68,000, according to county records.