An inmate of the McKean County Jail is on the lam after walking
away from his work release assignment Friday morning in Smethport
Borough – at the old jail across from the courthouse – and has
become the third person charged with escaping from the jail in the
past four months.
Gary L. Herbstritt, 33, whose address in McKean County Court
records was listed as 73 W. Corydon St., Bradford, had been
incarcerated for 29 days on a parole violation. There was no
information available as to what the violation was.
According to the Clerk of Courts office, his last criminal
offense listed was a sentencing for criminal trespass, entering a
structure, in Smethport Borough on Jan. 19, 2003. For that he was
sentenced to six to 12 months in jail.
When contacted Friday afternoon, a representative of the Adult
Probation Department said she could not release any information
regarding Herbstritt’s parole violation.
Smethport Borough Police Chief Ryan Yingling said Friday
afternoon that Herbstritt had been working at the McKean County
Historical Society at 502 W. King St.
Officials with the Historical Society contacted the police about
11:30 a.m. and said that Herbstritt had walked away.
“He had been off working in the yard,” Yingling said. “They went
to speak with him and he was gone.”
Herbstritt was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt and
a purple hooded sweatshirt. Anyone with information on his
whereabouts is asked to contact the Smethport Police or the McKean
County 911 Center at their non-emergency number, which is
887-4911.
Yingling said all the county police agencies have been notified
about Herbstritt’s escape, and that District Judge James Miller has
issued a warrant for his arrest for escape, a second-degree
misdemeanor.
The warrant has been entered into NCIC, a computerized criminal
database, Yingling explained.
No information was available from the jail on Friday. According
to Warden Dennis Luther’s secretary, no one was at the jail to
answer any questions or release any information at 4 p.m. on
Friday. When asked if a reporter could leave a message for the
warden or for an assistant warden, she said they would not get the
message until Monday.
Herbstritt is the second inmate to have walked away from work
release this year. Mark Craig Mullins, 24, was released from jail
at 7:40 a.m. July 23 as part of the work release program.
He failed to report back to the jail at 7 p.m. that night.
Kane-based state police were notified at 11 p.m. that Mullins had
not returned.
Mullins remains at large.
Mullins was the second inmate to escape from the custody of the
jail during the month of July. On July 3, David Paul Davis, 25, who
was being held at the jail on a warrant from North Carolina,
allegedly conspired with two other inmates to escape.
Davis climbed the wall of the secured outside recreation area,
made his way through the chain-link fence at the top of the wall
and jumped about 20 feet to the ground below.
He was seriously injured in the attempt and was
hospitalized.
