Allegheny County pays $80K to punched inmate

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Allegheny County will pay $80,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former jail inmate who was beaten by guards after an escape attempt.

County spokeswoman Amie Downs confirmed the settlement today to be paid to 32-year-old Gary Barbour Jr.

Barbour is finishing up a state prison sentence for his 2010 escape attempt.

James Donis, the former major in charge of guards at the Pittsburgh lockup, was fired and pleaded guilty to falsifying a report that covered up the beating. Donis was sentenced by a federal judge last year to five years’ probation, including eight months in a halfway house.

Barbour’s attorney, Ronald Barber, declined comment on the settlement.

County Solicitor Andrew Szefi says the county denies wrongdoing in the settlement, which he called “cost-effective.”