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From Facebook to storefront: New Nanticoke business opens

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“The Monster Who Ate My Peas” coming to the Scranton Cultural Center on March 19

<p>DALLAS &#8212; A female corrections officer at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas is suing the facility, saying two of her subordinates discriminated against her based on her gender and created a hostile work environment.</p><p>According to court documents filed Tuesday, plaintiff Kristen Kirchner was hired in 2009 as a sergeant at the facility. She achieved the highest test score within the Dallas facility and scored third out of a total of 296 people in the state who took the sergeants&#8217; exam, the complaint said.</p><p>Court documents indicate that after she was promoted, a prison employee made a statement that Kirchner was promoted because of her physical appearance, but the complaint doesn&#8217;t specify who allegedly made the statement.</p><p>The lawsuit also claims that Kirchner was harassed by male subordinates and that harassing comments about her were written on bathroom walls on several occasions.</p><p>Kirchner&#8217;s fianc&#233; also allegedly was physically attacked by a prison official.</p><p>Corrections officers Norm Searfoss and Tom Engell, who also are listed as defendants, allegedly made derogatory comments about Kirchner and intentionally ignored her orders and undermined her authority in front of inmates.</p><p>An inmate allegedly also told Kirchner, &#8220;Don&#8217;t walk to your car alone, (Searfoss and Engell) are out to get you.&#8221;</p><p>Kirchner is asking for $50,000 in damages, plus interest and legal fees.</p><p>Efforts Tuesday to reach Searfoss and Engell for comment were not immediately successful. Sue McNaughton, press secretary for the Department of Corrections, said that Engell is still employed with the prison but Searfoss retired in 2015.</p><p>The Department of Corrections declined to comment further on Kirchner&#8217;s allegations, citing the pending litigation.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Female corrections officer sues SCI Dallas, says subordinates created hostile work environment