Wyoming Valley West softball makes most of chances to top Pittston Area

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Marcyssa Brown, Wyoming Area bounce Pittston Area in first round of D2 girls lacrosse

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri disclosed more details about a Monday night altercation in the county prison that led to the deaths of <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/566806/luzerne-county-coroner-identifies-prison-guard-victim-cause-of-death" target="_blank">corrections officer Kristopher Moules</a> and <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/566799/inmate-who-died-in-luzerne-county-prison-incident-had-lengthy-rap-sheet" target="_blank">inmate Timothy Darnelle Gilliam Jr.</a>, describing it as a &#8220;freak accident.&#8221;</p><p>Pedri said the prison&#8217;s investigation showed Gilliam was on the fifth floor of the facility when he and Moules exchanged words before a &#8220;brief altercation&#8221; ensued.</p><p>The altercation lasted seconds and spilled out into a common area near an elevator, he said.</p><p>Guards on other floors were summoned to assist, and another arrived within seconds.</p><p>As the two guards tried to detain Gilliam, Gilliam and Moules smashed through the closed elevator door and fell several floors down the elevator shaft to their death, Pedri said.</p><p>The other guard also came &#8220;very close&#8221; to falling into the shaft.</p><p>Pedri said the elevator had a valid inspection certificate. The state Department of Labor and Industry conducted an inspection of the elevator in April and found only a minor &#8220;housekeeping&#8221; deficiency that was corrected by staff. An outside contractor also completed a load test of the elevator on July 14.</p><p>Pedri said &#8220;something happened&#8221; that caused the door to open, and the county has retained an expert to identify the problem. He promised to publicly release the expert&#8217;s findings and implement any recommended corrective action.</p><p>For now, the elevator has been blocked off and shut down. There are two elevators in the facility.</p><p>Pedri said Moules was &#8220;just beginning his career&#8221; and was proud of his new job.</p><p>He said he will revive a push to build a new prison to replace the aging structure and pledged the new prison will be named after Moules.</p><p>The county council has not actively revived past discussions about a new prison because they face $351 million in outstanding debt repayments.</p><p>State police continue to investigate the matter.</p><p>&#8220;This is a tragic day in Luzerne County,&#8221; Pedri said, noting county flags are flying at half mast.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Correctional Facility. 5/5/16. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_LCCF-12.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Correctional Facility. 5/5/16. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pedri releases details on Luzerne County prison deaths