Press Release
Former USP Hazelton Inmates Sentenced For Assaulting Inmate And Correctional Officer
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of West Virginia
1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-0100 ● Contact: Tara Tighe, Public Affairs Specialist
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two former inmates at the United States Penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia were sentenced to additional time in prison for assaulting a fellow inmate and a correctional officer, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced today.
John David Pinke, 36, and Edward C. Crow, 44, were each sentenced to an additional 275 months in prison and ordered to pay $281,548.47 in restitution for assaulting a fellow inmate. Crow was also sentenced to an additional 240 months in prison for assaulting a correctional officer. Crow’s sentences will run consecutively. Both Pinke and Crow are currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Gilmer.
In January 2013, Pinke and Crow assaulted a fellow USP Hazelton inmate in one of the prison’s recreational areas. The victim suffered stab wounds from razor blades, broken bones, and cognitive impairment. A federal jury found both Pinke and Crow guilty of one count of “Conspiracy to Commit Assault with Intent to Commit Murder,” one count of “Assault with Intent to Commit Murder – Aiding and Abetting,” one count of “Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm,” and one count of “Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.” The jury also found Crow guilty of one count of “Possession of a Prohibited Object – Weapon.”
In a separate April 2013 incident, Crow used a handcrafted spear to stab a correctional officer through the food slot in his cell door. A federal jury found Crow guilty of one count of “Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Certain Officers or Employees,” one count of “Assault With a Dangerous Weapon With Intent to Do Bodily Harm,” and one count of “Possession of a Prohibited Object – Weapon.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar and former Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Flower prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Special Investigative Staff at USP Hazelton led the investigations.
U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Updated January 7, 2015
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