Westmoreland commissioners agree to settle 2 federal lawsuits

Rich Cholodofsky, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Dec. 16—Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday approved payments totaling $45,000 to settle two federal lawsuits.

One case involved a whistleblower lawsuit brought in 2017 by a deputy sheriff who claimed the department's drug-sniffing dog was removed from his care as retaliation for speaking with state investigators probing suspected election law violations by then Sheriff Jonathan Held.

Jason Grecco contended that Held ordered his dog, Diesel, who had also lived in the deputy's home for the previous three years, be reassigned to another sheriff's department deputy as payback for cooperating with the state Attorney General investigation that resulted in the filing of criminal charges against the then incumbent sheriff.

Grecco will receive $20,000 as part of the out-of-court settlement.

Diesel was eventually retired and later returned to Grecco's care. Grecco continues to work as a deputy sheriff.

Held, a Republican who spent two terms in office, was accused of directing sheriff's deputies and office employees to perform duties for his reelection campaigns while they were on the clock. In December 2018 a mistrial was declared after a Westmoreland County jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case against Held. Earlier this year Held pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor theft charge, agreed to pay $2,680 in restitution to the county and was sentenced to serve six months on probation.

Held was voted out of office in

November 2019.

Second lawsuit settled

Commissioners on Thursday also approved a $25,000 payment to settle a second lawsuit filed by a New Mexico man who claimed he was assaulted by guards at the Westmoreland County Prison.

James Mapp, 34, originally sued the county in 2020 and in February was paid $150,000 to end the litigation without a trial. A second lawsuit was filed in May alleging Westmoreland violated terms of a confidentiality agreement when solicitor Melissa Guiddy confirmed in a public meeting that the county admitted no liability as part of the first case.

Mapp originally claimed he was assaulted by Westmoreland County Prison guards following his arrest involving a domestic incident in Penn Township. Mapp claimed guards beat him after he refused to wear a mask in the Hempfield lockup.

The second lawsuit sought an additional $150,000 because Mapp claimed the county violated a confidentially clause in the original settlement.

Commissioners briefly recessed Thursday's public meeting to discuss the proposed second settlement before returning to approve the payout.

Westmoreland commissioners and Guiddy declined to comment on the additional settlement with Mapp.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .