Former Lackawanna County deputy pleads guilty to assaulting prisoner

David Singleton, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·1 min read

Jul. 20—A former Lackawanna County deputy sheriff pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting a prisoner earlier this year at the county Criminal Justice Center.

John Paul Ehnot, 59, entered the plea to one count of simple assault during a brief appearance with his attorney, Paul Walker, before Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle.

Under questioning by the judge, Ehnot admitted assaulting Kenneth Eiswerth in a holding cell March 11 after the victim was booked into the county processing center by city police.

Ehnot, whose employment with the county ended two days after the assault, was charged in late March following an investigation by county detectives.

Moyle set no sentencing date pending a presentence investigation. The simple assault charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

— DAVID SINGLETON