Westmoreland commissioners say no rush to hire new jail warden

Rich Cholodofsky, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Oct. 30—Leaders say morale has improved at the Westmoreland County Prison in Hempfield in the weeks since Warden Bryan Kline resigned, and the county hasn't set a timetable to find a permanent replacement.

The jail's deputy warden for security, Steve Pelesky, is the interim warden.

"He's done a good job in calming what has been a very difficult situation. There was well-documented challenges and, overall, the morale of the staff has improved and the staff has stabilized, and that is the priority, making sure the inmates and staff are safe," Commissioner Ted Kopas said.

A handful of resumes have been received, and Pelesky has applied for the job.

Commissioner Doug Chew, who serves as the chairman of the county's prison board, said interviews haven't been scheduled.

"It's an important job, so it's important we receive applications," Chew said.

Kline served as the county's elected clerk of courts when he was hired in 2021 as the jail's warden following the resignation months earlier of the facility's former top administrator, John Walton, who later sued Westmoreland County, claiming he was subjected to harassment by then-Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher. That lawsuit is still pending.

In September, county officials learned that a state inspection of the jail this summer unearthed multiple violations related to sanitary and maintenance issues in cells, keys and security access devices that were insufficiently inventoried, and inmate restraints that were improperly tracked by staff.

Kline resigned minutes before the prison board's September meeting. He said he quit to focus on work in academia and research.

Scott Kennedy, president of the United Mine Workers of America Local 522, which represents about 135 corrections officers at the jail, said Pelesky's leadership has had a positive impact.

"Since the former warden resigned, morale has improved tremendously," Kennedy said.

Union leaders want a role in selecting a new warden, he said.

County officials have not outlined how or when the process of hiring a new warden will move to the next stage.

"The position is posted and it has been for about a month. I don't think the (prison) board will conduct any interviews until we get more applications," Chew said.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .