Inmates give officials the slip

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

Mahoning had at least three cases of prisoners’ taking off handcuffs last month.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department officials are investigating how a jail inmate slipped out of his handcuffs and attacked another inmate while in a holding cell at the county courthouse.

James Feltner, 19, of Fifth Avenue, and Andrew Kocak, 22, of Champlain Avenue were taken from the jail to the courthouse for court appearances Dec. 16.

Feltner is in jail awaiting trial on charges of robbery and assaulting a probation officer. Kocak is charged with breaking and entering and possession of criminal tools.

Deputies transport dozens of inmates to and from the jail daily, but, according to reports, there was nothing routine that day concerning Feltner and Kocak.

Officers were with inmates in a basement holding area in the courthouse when several inmates asked to use the restroom. Five inmates were taken out of the holding cell and taken to the rest room.

According to reports, someone began kicking the door to the holding area shortly after the group of inmates had been taken to the rest room. When deputies opened the door to the holding area, they discovered Feltner had removed one handcuff and was attempting to beat Kocak. Feltner was removed from the cell and his handcuffs replaced.

Reports say the incident marked the third time in two days in which inmates had gotten out of handcuffs.

Sheriff Randall Wellington said Friday some people have the bone structure and ability to squeeze out of handcuffs. He added deputies work to make sure it does not happen, but it is an occasional occurrence.

“This happens periodically where they can slip out of them. The thing is we try to make inmates secure and not too uncomfortable, and occasionally they slip out of them, especially with the females,” Wellington said.

The sheriff said the public does not have to fear inmates’ freeing themselves from handcuffs and escaping into neighborhoods or the general population.

He said inmates are watched on camera while in holding cells at the courthouse.

“This took quite a while to do, and the reason it happened is because he [Feltner] was locked in a room with other inmates. If he were under a constant watch, this would not happen,” Wellington said. “This would never happen en route from the jail to the court or in the general vicinity of the public.”

Wellington and other sheriff’s department officials have reviewed video of the incident and are investigating the situation.

“Internal affairs is investigating this, and if there is any negligence we will be correcting it,” the sheriff said.

jgoodwin@vindy.com