A Lackawanna County Prison captain is on unpaid leave after a disturbance at a party in South Abington Twp. last weekend, police and county officials said.
Capt. Robert Maguire, a local gang expert and chairman of the Lackawanna County Gang Task Force, has been separated from his duties at the prison after officials learned of the incident involving him and two off-duty law enforcement officers at the party late Saturday.
"Capt. Robert Maguire was placed on unpaid leave pending completion of an internal investigation into the matter," prison Warden Robert McMillan said in a statement. "Due to the HR (human resources) nature of the issues and the pending investigation, there will be no further comment at this time."
The county's decision arises from the township police investigation, county spokesman Joe D'Arienzo said Thursday.
Mr. Maguire, 43, attended a gathering at a home in the 800 block of Saddle Loop Road when he got into a vehicle and, with it, struck an off-duty state trooper and an off-duty state Game Commission officer, township Police Chief Robert Gerrity said. When he backed up the vehicle in an attempt to leave the party, the driver's side door hit the two officers, knocking them to the ground, the chief said.
The vehicle ran over their feet, the chief said. The officers later received treatment for minor injuries at local hospitals.
The chief declined to reveal their identities.
The partygoers tried to stop Capt. Maguire from leaving the gathering over concerns about his "erratic behavior," the chief said.
Capt. Maguire may have been under the influence of alcohol, the chief said, though to what extent police are still investigating.
They do not know if he intended to strike the officers with the vehicle, the chief said. The vehicle stopped, and he did not leave the property.
"It's still in its infancy," the chief said of the investigation. "Honestly, at this point, there is no indication anybody did anything wrong."
Interviews continued this week. No charges have been filed.
Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola deferred comment to the township Police Department because officers there are conducting the investigation.
State police also declined to discuss the incident.
"We can't make a comment on it. No. 1, it's not our investigation, and No. 2, it is an ongoing investigation," state police spokeswoman Trooper Connie Devens said.
Efforts to reach Capt. Maguire, who oversees intelligence gathering at the prison, were unsuccessful.
He has been employed with the county for 12 years. His salary this year was set at $59,019, according to county records.
Township police were not initially made aware of what transpired at the home, even though they were called to assist an ambulance heading there, apparently for a medical emergency involving Capt. Maguire, the chief said.
No one mentioned the incident with the vehicle to Chief Gerrity's officers when they arrived at the home, he said. They didn't learn of the incident until after the ambulance took Capt. Maguire to a hospital, the chief said.
Several hours later, township police received a call from one of the off-duty officers injured at the party, who said a report needed to be taken for his insurance because he was hurt, the chief said.
Township police did not ask to see if Capt. Maguire was under the influence of alcohol at the home because they were unaware of the incident until well after it happened, the chief said.
The county's own "internal" inquiry is not complete because officials still are waiting for more information from township police, Mr. D'Arienzo said.
No further information will be released beyond the warden's statement, Mr. D'Arienzo said.
Chief Gerrity said once the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the district attorney's office to decide whether any charges will be filed.
Contact the writer: smcconnell@timesshamrock.com, @smcconnellTT on Twitter