Fayette County Prison officials investigating apparent smuggling attempt

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Officials at the Fayette County Prison are investigating after guards found a wall that had been damaged in an apparent attempt to smuggle contraband.

Warden Brian Miller said the damage was discovered on both the inside and the outside of the wall.

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"It looks like someone was digging out the mortar joint around one of the big stones outside and there also was some similar activity going on inside," Miller told Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE.

Miller told Channel 11’s Cara Sapida that he thinks they were trying to pass contraband through the hole.

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He went on to say this is why they need a new prison with a buffer between the walls and the public.

“Very few prisons in the country can you walk up to and touch. And that’s what we’re dealing with,” said Chris Bennett, President of Local 9113 Correctional Officers Union.

All prisoners who had direct access to the area have been moved.

"Every other prison is updated with sally ports so you don't have to bring inmates out through the streets. You don't see that anywhere else but here," Bennett said.

According to Bennett, the room where the inmate worked to remove the block was originally not meant to house serious offenders.

“It’s an old community release area originally set up for weekenders or people for short stays. Due to overcrowding, we have to house other individuals in there now,” Bennett said.

Miller said the room is often used to house inmates going through drug withdrawal, and that’s another reason why he thinks they may have been trying to pass contraband.

“The building is 126 years old. It’s very difficult to do our jobs with the structure we have to work with,” Miller said.

Miller said he intends to study surveillance video as part of the investigation.

“This would be better suited as a museum than a prison at this point and time,” Bennett said.

WPXI