Westmoreland County Prison guard charged with assaulting inmate

The alleged assault on an inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison at the hands of a guard last month was reported by Manor Police, who had just delivered the handcuffed prisoner to the jail, according to court records.

Borough officers told county detectives they watched as James Mapp “was repeatedly struck about his face and head” by guard Jeremy B. Lynn, 38, shortly after Mapp was arraigned on charges of breaking into a home in Manor.

Lynn, of Ligonier Township, was charged Tuesday by county detectives with official oppression and simple assault in connection with the April 30 incident. Lynn was fired Monday by the county prison board, less than a month after the launch of an investigation.

The complaint was sent to Lynn via mailed summons. His preliminary hearing is July 27.

Manor Police Chief George Valmassoni telephoned county detectives at 5:10 p.m. April 30 shortly after the alleged assault on Mapp, 32, of Roswell, N.M. Mapp was taken by ambulance and treated for head injuries at Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg.

County Det. Ray Dupilka said Valmassoni reported he and Manor officer Justin Hall delivered Mapp to the jail at about 3:45 p.m. after Mapp was arraignedand ordered held in the county prison after failing to post $50,000 bond.

Borough police told detectives that Mapp, still in handcuffs, “voiced his objection” to being put in a protective face mask and removed it. The prison has implemented a policy of prisoners wearing protective masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

Valmassoni said police followed Mapp and several guards to the booking area, where Mapp was instructed to kneel on a bench so officers could remove his restraint belt and handcuffs and return them to Manor Police.

Valmassoni said Mapp told officers “that he wouldn’t kneel for any man, only for God.”

According to witnesses, Dupilka said multiple prison guards then took Mapp to the ground and one officer (Lynn) struck Mapp “at least eight or nine times.”

“Valmassoni stated, at one point, he went over to the correctional officer (later identified as Lynn) and grabbed his shoulder, advising him to stop striking Mapp. Valmassoni stated that, due to Mapp being restrained, he posed no threat to the officers and was unable to defend himself against the strikes,” Dupilka wrote in court documents filed with Mansour.

Prison officials turned over security videos that enabled investigators to identify Lynn, according to Dupilka.

Although several officers reportedly took Mapp to the floor in the booking room, Peck said Lynn was the only one charged with assault.

“Lynn was the only person clearly shown in the video striking (Mapp) when he was on the floor,” Peck said.

In a May 4 interview, Mapp told Dupilka that the guards were telling him to stop resisting, but “Mapp acknowledged he was moving on the ground in an effort to avoid being struck by the corrections officers … because of the handcuffs and restraining belt, he was unable to defend or protect himself from the officer’s strikes.”

Prison warden John Walton declined comment on Lynn’s arrest Tuesday, saying he was not permitted to speak on personnel matters..

Lynn could not be reached for comment.

Messages left for Valmassoni were not returned.

The assault allegations prompted prison board chairman James Albert to call for expanded investigations of new hires at the jail.

Albert, who also is county sheriff, said he believes in addition to criminal background checks, guards should have to undergo psychological examinations before hirings.

Officials will seek details for an expanded review of guard candidates and could implement a new program next month, Albert said.

Lynn was hired as a senior corrections officer on April 13, 2009. His annual salary was $48,672, according to the controller’s office.

Mapp was arrested two times within 24 hours, according to court records. Police said he was found April 30 inside a home in Manor and left water running in a second-floor bathtub, causing damage to a floor and dining room.

A day earlier, Mapp was discovered inside the vacant residence, and officers found he had spray painted a wall in a second-floor bedroom. He told police during the first incident he intended to return to New Mexico.

No charges were filed in the initial case after police consulted the homeowner.

Mapp remains in jail, unable to post a $50,000 bond. A preliminary hearing on charges of burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief is scheduled May 26.