Pa. inmate sues, says punished for taking sandwiches from garbage; prison says he stole them
By APMonday, October 4, 2010
Pa. federal inmate sues over discarded sandwiches
LORETTO, Pa. — An inmate of a federal prison in central Pennsylvania is suing, saying he was wrongly punished for “theft” when all he did was take about 30 sandwiches that a vendor threw in the garbage while restocking a dining hall machine.
Thirty-five-year-old George Crute III, is suing officials at the Federal Correctional Institution-Loretto over the Feb. 5 incident.
Crute says he wrongly lost his “good conduct” time that would have shortened his sentence and his job as a clerk.
Prison officials contend Crute took the sandwiches out of the machine.
The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown says a guard claims Crute ran away with a garbage bag when an officer tried to question him. Crute’s lawsuit says the sandwiches were fair game after the vendor tossed.
Information from: The Tribune-Democrat, www.tribune-democrat.com
