Former Westmoreland sheriff’s deputy ordered to stand trial in sexual assault case

Two former female inmates at the Westmoreland County prison testified Friday that a county sheriff’s deputy frequently asked inmates to expose themselves or grope him over his uniform in exchange for cigarettes during van rides to court hearings.

After listening to two hours of testimony from the women, District Judge Mark Mansour ordered Daniel A. Gradischek, 33, of Unity to stand trial on multiple criminal charges, among them institutional sexual assault, filed by state police after a nearly two-year investigation.

“That sheriff’s deputy would always ask during transports, ‘What would you do for a cigarette?’” one former inmate testified. The witnesses are not being named as prosecutors say they were victims of a sex crime.

She said Gradischek would often pick up the inmates at the county jail for transport to the district justice’s offices or courthouse for hearings.

“What did you take that to mean?” asked Assistant District Attorney Adam Barr.

“To show him your boobs or butt,” she replied.

She testified Gradischek made the solicitation to her at least four or five times, but she never accepted.

“Did he ever ask you for sexual favors?” Barr asked.

She said on one occasion, he asked her to perform oral sex, but again she refused. Under cross-examination by Gradischek’s attorney, Michael Ferguson, she said she never reported the incidents to police and only spoke when asked about them by Trooper Christopher Cole.

Another inmate at the jail between 2017-2018 told Mansour that she thought the first time Gradischek asked her, “I thought it was very inappropriate.”

At the district justice’s office, she said she asked to use the restroom and Gradischek again solicited her.

“He said, ‘How about a quickie’ … I took that as a sexual proposition,” she testified.

After multiple requests during her trips to courts with Gradischek, she said she “quickly flashed” the deputy in a holding cell at the county courthouse.

“Why did you do that?” Barr asked.

“Because I wanted a cigarette,” she replied.

She testified she never had sexual relations with Gradischek.

Cole testified that he questioned Gradischek in November 2018 in connection with an investigation into another unnamed deputy who was rumored to be offering female inmates cigarettes for sexual favors.

“(Gradischek) came in in his whole uniform, badge, gun, Taser, on his way to work and I told him what I was looking into and he said it wasn’t (the other deputy), it was him doing it. He said he had done it 10-15 times and gave me some names,” Cole testified.

Cole said he approached other alleged victims but they told him they didn’t want to be involved.

Cole said Gradischek maintained he never had sexual intercourse with any of the inmates, but some would grope his groin area over his uniform.

Gradischek pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The other charges include criminal conspiracy, criminal solicitation, criminal solicitation to commit indecent assault and oppression.

The incidents all allegedly occurred under the administration of former Sheriff Jon Held. Held said he never knew about the incidents and Gradischek was fired immediately after his admission in November 2018.

Gradischek remains free on $50,000 unsecured bond. He is not to have contact with any of the alleged victims as part of his bond conditions.