Benner Township State Prison Sergeant Charged in Alleged Assault of Inmate

A Benner Township state prison sergeant is facing charges after investigators said he struck an inmate in the head and neck with a closed fist and his knee 10 to 15 times.

Zachary R. Fleck, 33, of Potter Township, was charged on Tuesday with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and official oppression, along with a summary count of harassment, stemming from a July 22 incident.

A Department of Corrections spokesperson said Fleck has been suspended without pay pending resolution of the case.

Surveillance video showed Fleck ordered the 28-year-old inmate to exit his cell for an inspection and pepper sprayed him twice, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by a Department of Corrections investigator.

The inmate then left the area while Fleck and another corrections officer pursued him. The men were next seen entering a vestibule area, where Fleck pushed the inmate into a door and along with the other officer attempted to wrestle him to the ground, according to the affidavit.

Video showed the inmate began “delivering closed-fist strikes toward Sgt. Fleck” before the corrections officers placed him on the ground, the investigator wrote.

Once the inmate was on the ground, he attempted to cover his face as Fleck struck him in the face, head and neck with a closed fist and his knee an estimated 10 to 15 times, according to the affidavit. The inmate was covering his face during the alleged assault.

The inmate said he was evaluated at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville for an eye injury, which the investigator wrote was visible during an interview. He has not been charged in the case and has since been transferred Huntingdon state prison.

Asked why he left the area after being pepper-sprayed, the inmate said, “I’m afraid for my life now. I don’t know what’s going on,” according to the affidavit.

Fleck was charged via summons. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9.