Inmate let out for funeral is fugitive

The prisoner is considered to have escaped.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A man released from Trumbull County Jail to attend his son's funeral has failed to return, a sheriff's department official said Wednesday.
Alvin James Pruitt, 56, of White Court, was released Tuesday morning from the jail, where he was serving 90 days on a misdemeanor theft charge, to attend the funeral of Quante J. Pruitt, 24, of Hall Street.
The county coroner ruled Pruitt's death a homicide and said he died of a gunshot wound to the head. He was shot about 11:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at a house at 1078 Miller Street in Warren Township.
The elder Pruitt's release was authorized by Judge Thomas Campbell, a county court judge in Cortland, who ordered him back to jail by 6 p.m.
"If he does not report back in, treat as an escape," the order said.
Alert issued
The sheriff's department issued a countywide alert and entered Pruitt's AWOL status into the state's Law Enforcement Automated Data System for nationwide distribution, said Ernie Cook, chief deputy sheriff.
The elder Pruitt has prior convictions for a probation violation in 1991 and felony drug trafficking in 1992, Cook said.
"We'll catch him," Cook vowed.
In this case, Judge Campbell said he authorized the release of a nonviolent misdemeanor offender to attend his son's funeral "as a matter of humanity."
For this type of offender, such a release is "not an unusual thing," the judge added.
Pruitt had already completed his original jail sentence and was resentenced to additional time because he failed to appear for a probation appointment, the judge said.
Had a deputy escort been required, it would have placed additional demands on the sheriff's department and an unnecessary expense to the taxpayers under the circumstances, the judge said.
In more trouble
In addition to being required to complete the previously ordered jail time, Pruitt now likely faces a felony escape charge, the judge said.
Such release decisions are "an exercise in discretion," the judge said, adding that he will continue to exercise his discretion in these matters.
The judge said he tries to be prudent in such cases, but he added: "I'm not always right." He concluded: "Hopefully, it works out better next time."
milliken@vindy.com