York County employee was seriously injured in a jail training incident

A York County employee was seriously injured Monday during an interagency training exercise at the York County Jail.

So far, the district government and many law enforcement officials have refused to reveal details of the incident, including the investigating agency.

Chief secretary Greg Monskie said the employee had been taken to hospital for treatment and the incident was currently under investigation. The employee’s name was not released.

Monskie declined to say which agency is investigating. Additionally, the court clerk said he could not provide information about what training was conducted, which law enforcement agencies were involved or how many people participated.

Adam Ogle, the prison director, declined to comment and deferred to Monskie.

A note on the prison’s website adds some context to the situation.

The announcement said the training exercise was scheduled for Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and that multiple agencies would be stationed at the jail along Concord Road in Springettsbury Township.

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“Do not be alarmed, this is just a training exercise,” the statement said. “This training is a collaborative, multi-agency effort and will help ensure a safer place for both inmates and staff.”

The notice also stated that no inmates would be involved and that while legal and medical services would not be disrupted, regular prison visits would be canceled for the day.

Springettsbury Township Police Lt. Brian Wilbur said his department was not called to the scene about the incident.

Wilbur said he knew an ambulance was sent, but he didn’t know who or what agencies were involved.

Some officers from the department were at the jail during the exercise, primarily assisting with traffic stops, he said. That was about the extent of the department’s involvement.

Wilbur said his department is not investigating the accident.

Pennsylvania State Police are also not investigating, Trooper James Grothey said.

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The York County District Attorney’s Office responded with a standard answer when asked if it was involved.

“The District Attorney’s Office cannot confirm or deny the existence of a criminal investigation until charges are filed or not in a particular matter,” spokesman Kyle King said in a statement.

A spokesman for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the agency does not investigate incidents involving local government employees. A message left with the state Department of Labor and Industry was not returned.

Monday’s breach was the latest in a history of traumatic incidents and practices questioned at the York County Jail.

Notably, the county settled a federal lawsuit in September 2023 and agreed to pay $1 million to Everett Palmer Jr.’s family.

The 41-year-old died in April 2018 after correctional officers attempted to restrain him during an incident while he was incarcerated at the prison.

The settlement also called for the county’s health care provider, PrimeCare Medical, to pay $500,000 to Palmer’s family. The district did not admit liability as part of the decision.

The legal battle does not end here.

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The district has been involved in an ongoing federal case with a group of prison inmates since late 2021.

Inmates accused the prison and its former training contractor, the Corrections Special Applications Unit (C-SAU), of various human rights violations.

Court documents show the two sides are expected to attend a mediation session on May 21. Previous documents indicated a trial was scheduled for October.

York County initially awarded C-SAU and its chief, Joseph Garcia, a $122,000 contract in November 2020 to train up to 18 officers.

A few months later, allegations emerged that the group had subjected inmates to abuse and threats at the prison.

Then, in October 2021, shortly before the federal lawsuit was filed, the county doubled its service and renewed C-SAU’s service with a new two-year, $252,700 contract.

The county later backed out and terminated the contract, but still paid C-SAU an additional $43,500, amid local controversy and scrutiny of Garcia by other municipalities around the country. An Allegheny County investigator once called Garcia the “Bernie Madoff of correctional consultants.”

Meanwhile, a former correctional officer posted in the prison’s work release department is currently facing an indecency charge while police accuse him of having a sexual relationship with a man who was a work-release prisoner last year.

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Construction work is also underway at the prison. Projects to expand a juvenile detention center and relocate the county’s central booking department are scheduled to be completed this month.

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