Westmoreland prison guard union president charged in domestic violence case in North Irwin

The president of the union that represents guards at Westmoreland County Prison is charged with strangulation and other related offenses after an alleged domestic violence incident last weekend in North Irwin.

Scott Allen Kennedy, 40, was arraigned earlier this week by North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware and released on $75,000 unsecured bond.

Police said that on July 31, Kennedy grabbed a woman by the hair and forced her to the ground as they left Quinn Brewery Co. in North Huntingdon. When they arrived at an apartment in North Irwin, Kennedy again grabbed her hair, forced her to the ground by her throat and pushed his fist into her mouth, police wrote in a criminal complaint.

The woman fled the apartment and ran barefoot to the Irwin Police Department, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. His preliminary hearing on charges of strangulation, terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment is scheduled for Aug. 24 before Gongaware.

Prison Warden Bryan Kline said Kennedy has been suspended with pay pending an internal investigation. According to county payroll records, Kennedy earns an annual salary of $55,411 and has worked as a guard since 2001. For the past several years, he has served as president of the United Mine Workers of American Local 522, which represents about 150 guards at the Hempfield lockup.