A Friday incident at the Federal Correctional Institution-McKean
in which staff members were injured was the first time in the
facility’s 17-year history that a staff member was assaulted with a
weapon.

According to members of the American Federation of Government
Employees Local 3974, four staff members were injured; two
superficially, one with injuries to a knee and arm and another
received four stitches in his hand during the incident at the
prison in Lafayette Township.

Ken Haupricht, president of the union for the past three months,
said Monday to call the fight between the inmates a scuffle, or
slight altercation, was not accurate.

“It was more than a scuffle. Staff was injured by a homemade
knife- a staff member was assaulted by the inmate,” said
Haupricht.

Dennis Biesik, treasurer of the union, also said the incident
Friday was more than an average fight.

“The incident was of a more serious nature,” he said. “There may
be fights on a regular basis, but this was more serious.”

John Siffrinn, union vice president, agreed.

“Anytime a staff member gets hurt it is more than a casual
event,” he added.

The three men are talking about an incident that happened Friday
where staff, in trying to break up a fight between two inmates,
were injured while trying to do so.

They were taken to Bradford Regional Medical Center to receive
treatment.

On Friday, administrative staff told The Era that those
correctional members involved received minor injuries and were
taken to BRMC to be examined further in case of a more serious
injury than “scrapes or bruises,” which is an apparent norm
following a fight breakup.

Siffrinn, Biesik and Haupricht wanted the public to know that
the incident was more serious than had been initially reported.

They said that even though the injuries weren’t more serious,
the fact that a staff member was injured by a homemade weapon makes
the incident itself serious.

“Assaults may have happened, but never before with a weapon,”
said Siffrinn.

Biesik added, “This is way outside the norm.”

The three agreed that it is not an every day occurrence when
staff gets hurt breaking up a fight.

The union members added that only one of the inmates had a
weapon.

In the afternoon on Friday, an ambulance was sent to FCI-McKean
for a “male assault victim with a head injury and loss of
consciousness,” according to police radio. A call to the
institution revealed that one inmate that had been involved in the
fight had been sent to BRMC for X-rays.

The medium security prison opened its doors in 1989. At this
time, there are 1,292 inmates inside the wire with 350 camp
inmates. Camp inmates are located on the grounds of the facility
but not inside the wire.