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Struthers captains suspended for conduct before jail hanging
By Sarah Lehr
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 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?”
Completion of the form, which screens for suicide risk, among other factors, is required under Ohio law before booking an inmate.
A statement signed by Leonard and dated Sept. 10 contends Bugno did not indicate suicidal intent while being booked and that the form had been filled out inaccurately.
“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 statement reads.
The screening form also includes the response “n” (no) in response to the question “Does the inmate appear to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs?.”
Bugno had been arrested for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and the statement prepared by Leonard following the death described Bugno as “inebriated.”
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. Bundy was the jail officer and the acting police chief at the time of Bugno’s death.
Mayor Terry Stocker issued a press release Jan. 22 stating the city was conducting an internal investigation into police conduct before the hanging.
The captains were summoned to answer neglect of duty charges at Feb. 5 pre-disciplinary conferences.
Leonard was summoned for three counts of neglect of duty. Two of the counts alleged he inaccurately filled out the intake form. A third count alleged he violated Struthers jail policy because he did not refer Bugno to a mental health professional or place him under suicide watch.
“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.
Bundy was summoned for one count of neglect of duty alleging he failed to complete required checks.
After the hearings, Mayor Stocker and Wildes reviewed a report prepared by human resources agency Clemans Nelson & Associates and followed the agency’s recommendations, Stocker said Wednesday, then declined further comment.
Stocker and Wildes determined the neglect of duty charges “have merit,” the suspension notifications state.