Death at Westmoreland County Prison under investigation
A 33-year-old man was found dead in in his cell Thursday morning at the Westmoreland County Prison.
Terry L. Brumley Jr. was discovered unresponsive at about 7:45 a.m., according to a news release from the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday.
Three other inmates were also evaluated, treated at a local hospital and have since returned to the Hempfield jail, according to a statement from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office.
County detectives are investigating. Police sources told the Tribune-Review that the incident was possibly drug-related.
Brumley had an Oklahoma address, according to the coroner, and previously lived in Southwest Greensburg. He had been held at the jail since Jan. 4, according to jail records.
It’s the same day state police said he stole a van belonging to a Youngwood business, crashed it in New Stanton and then led troopers on a foot chase. Police said in court papers that Brumley appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine and they seized drug paraphernalia from his pocket.
Brumley pleaded guilty Aug. 29 to theft, criminal trespass, flight to avoid apprehension and related offenses and was sentenced to one and a half to three years in a state prison, according to court records.
His attorneys sought to have him released on pretrial services after a June evaluation recommended that he participate in residential inpatient drug rehabilitation followed by a halfway house. It didn’t appear from court records that the motion was ever heard or granted.
The facility along Route 119 typically holds 500 or more inmates. Officials told the Tribune-Review earlier this month that there were 37 vacant jobs at the jail.
A recent state inspection of the jail found seven deficiencies, including sanitary and maintenance issues in cells, keys and security access devices that were insufficiently inventoried and inmate restraints that were improperly tracked by staff, according to a report obtained by the Tribune-Review.
Warden Bryan Kline resigned Monday after two and a half years on the job. Kline said he was leaving to work in academia and do research.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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