43
Two Struthers police captains charged with neglect of duty in jail hanging
By Sarah Lehr
STRUTHERS
Two Struthers police captains face neglect-of-duty charges in the Sept. 10 hanging death of inmate Peter Bugno, 43.
Struthers Safety Director Ed Wildes sent notices Wednesday to Capt. Michael Leonard and Capt. Patrick Bundy informing them of pre-disciplinary conferences set for them Friday afternoon.
Mayor Terry Stocker sent out a news release Jan. 22 stating the city was conducting an internal investigation into police conduct before Bugno’s death. The city has hired human-resources agency Clemans Nelson & Associates from Akron to aid in the internal investigation.
Leonard, the screening officer at the time of Bugno’s arrest, faces three counts of neglect of duty, according to the notice sent by Wildes. Two of the counts allege he improperly completed a required intake questionnaire.
The first count alleges Leonard improperly checked “n” (no) in response to the question: “Does the inmate appear to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs?”
Bugno was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct while intoxicated.
Another count pertains to Leonard failing to take steps to refer Bugno to a mental-health professional or to place him under suicide watch, in accordance with jail procedure, despite Leonard’s checking “y” (yes) in response to the question: “Do you have any intention of hurting yourself or committing suicide?”
“If in fact you did have a reasonable belief that Mr. Bugno was a potential suicide risk, you should have taken the steps set forth in Struthers Police Department Jail Policy 919.7 with regard to a potentially suicidal inmate, but you failed to do so,” the notice states.
The final count against Leonard alleges he inaccurately completed the form by checking yes in response to the question: “Do you have any intention of hurting yourself or committing suicide?”
Leonard, according to the notification, has stated checking yes was an error because Bugno did not indicate intent of suicide or self-harm.
According to the notice, Leonard prepared a written statement Sept. 10, stating, “I cannot offer any explanation as to why I marked a Y. At no time did Mr. Bugno make any statement to lead me to believe that he was contemplating hurting himself. I can only state that it was near the end of my shift and I was trying to finish up my paperwork to ensure that it was complete by shift change.”
The notice also says that, when asked by Leonard if he had any intention of harming himself or committing suicide, Bugno said, “No, not today.” The notice states another inmate confirmed Bugno’s response of “No, not today.”
Bundy faces one count of neglect of duty after purportedly failing to complete the required checks involving “direct in-person surveillance” of inmates at least once every hour. Bundy was the jail officer and the acting police chief at the time of Bugno’s death.
The notices sent to Leonard and Bundy inform them that penalties could be as severe as termination and that, under their union contracts, they have a right to waive the pre-disciplinary conferences.