Supermax corrections officer fired for being in jail

YOUNGSTOWN — An Ohio State Penitentiary corrections officer has been fired for taking off sick for three days he spent in jail.

Kevin Shimko, 39, of Warren was fired, effective May 14, for absenteeism without proper authorization, job abandonment and failure to report his arrest, Keith Fletcher, spokesman for the supermax prison on Coitsville-Hubbard Road, said today. Shimko, who was hired in July 1998, can appeal the termination.

Shimko could not be reached.

Fletcher said Shimko had been jailed for a probation violation in a driving under the influence case. The court, the spokesman said, discovered that Shimko didn’t have yellow DUI license plates on his vehicle as required.

“Someone called him off sick for three days — Feb. 25, 26 and 27,” Fletcher said. “Finally, his attorney called and said he was in jail.”

In an unrelated matter, Shimko and three other corrections officers were arrested in April on misdemeanor assault charges that relate to inmates. The cases are pending in municipal court.

Shimko has a pretrial set for June 15.

At the time of the arrests, Fletcher said all four men had been investigated and dealt with internally. Shimko was fired July 31, 2006 for using excessive force and, after winning a grievance, was rehired Oct. 29, 2006.

The pending assault charges were filed based on a separate investigatigation by troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Southington post.