Coalport Fatal Fire Update 11:44 pm
Clearfield County District Attorney Ryan Sayers confirms a man was taken into custody for his involvement in a house fire in Coalport.
Jonathan Gallaher, 36, was taken into custody and has been charged with two counts of attempted homicide and multiple arson-related counts, according to Sayers.
According to Clearfield County coroner Kim Shaffer-Snyder, 33-year-old Matthew Troxell, of Patton, died in the blaze.
The fire, which broke out around 9 p.m. Friday at a home along the 600 block of Main Street in Coalport Borough, was ruled an arson, according to Sayers.
Sayers said two other people inside escaped the blaze.
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The Director of Psychology for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said in a statement Wednesday he could not comment on the recent settlement of a federal court case concerning an inmate sucide at the former State Correctional Institution in Cresson, but noted prevention of suicide in the state system remains a priority.
Dr. Lucas Malishchak stated, “We are unable to comment on the settlement, however suicide prevention within the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections continues to be prioritized as one
of the organization’s primary areas of ongoing review
and improvement.”
Malishchak said ongoing reviews of practices and oversight are conducted to ensure the advancement of the DoC’s Suicide Prevention Program.
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A federal civil rights lawsuit filed against two area prisons has cited the lack of mental health care as the primary reason for the death of an inmate two years ago.
Michael L. Duffalo was three days past his 38th birthday when he died from suicide in the Clearfield County Prison on March 10, 2019.
The civil rights action stated Duffalo, who was arrested on March 4, 2019, during a domestic incident in Brockway, Jefferson County, was transferred the next day to the Clearfield County Prison because of an outstanding warrant issued by a Clearfield County Court judge.
The warrant, according to the lawsuit, came about because Duffalo had failed to appear for a hearing on misdemeanor theft charges.