Struthers captains suspended over involvement in jail suicide

STRUTHERS

Two police captains have been disciplined with unpaid suspensions for neglect of duty in the hours before inmate Peter Bugno, 43, was found dead and hanging in his jail cell last Sept. 10.

Capts. Michael Leonard and Patrick Bundy have each received 17-day unpaid suspensions to be served sometime within the next four months at the discretion of Police Chief Tim Roddy, so as to cause minimal disruption to department operations.

Notices dated Feb. 19 and signed by Mayor Terry Stocker and Safety/Service Director Ed Wildes inform the captains of their suspensions.

Records obtained by The Vindicator in January indicate that Michael Leonard, the screening officer at the time of Bugno’s death, violated procedure because he failed to place Bugno under suicide watch or refer him to a medical professional, despite filling out a form in which “y” (yes) was checked in response to the question: “Do you have any intention of hurting yourself or committing suicide?”

Other records, including coroner’s reports and jail logs, obtained by The Vindicator in 2015 indicate Bundy failed to complete required “direct in-person surveillance” of all inmates — even those not under suicide watch — at least once every hour.

Read more about the case and the suspensions in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.