A longtime jailer with the Fayette County Sheriff’s office has resigned after public records show that he was charged with departmental charges of dishonesty and neglect of duty.
Corporal Matthew Stegall, who was initially hired by the Sheriff’s office in 2005, was charged with lying to his superiors. The dishonesty charges Stegall was convicted of surrounds an inmate jail work program and the expungement of another’s record.
Public records say that a bailiff with the municipal court had inquired about work credit for an incarcerated convict in August; inmates are allowed to preform chores within the Sheriff’s office in attempt to have an early release.
Stegall had said that the inmate had been working, but Stegall could not produce a time sheet detailing the hours worked, according to reports. Command staff with the sheriff’s office wrote in reports that Stegall lied to them and said that a parole officer had authorized the work credit for an early release, when in reality, Judge Victor D. Pontious said he wanted to review the inmate’s case before authorizing an early release to work credit.
In a second charge of dishonesty, which was the same grounds for a neglect of duty charge, Stegall was ordered by Judge Steven P. Beathard of the Court of Common Pleas more than a year ago to delete records and mugshots for a person who had their record expunged.
Records show that earlier last month, it was revealed that traces of the arrest still existed in the Sheriff’s database. When Stegall was asked why the criminal record was still showing up, he told his supervisors that he had removed it, as ordered, and was not sure why it was still showing. The Chief Deputy wrote in a report that the court order was found buried in a desk drawer in Stegall’s office and that Stegall was dishonest.
In the departmental charges, Stegall was found guilty of both charges of dishonesty, but was not convicted of the neglect of duty. He was hired in March 2005 and made $60,000 a year.
His personnel file was riddled with dozens of complaints and reprimands. In 2018, he was found guilty of neglect of duty and was given a written reprimand for failing to scan an inmate’s body through the jail’s body scanner. Also in 2018, Stegall was written up for “inefficiency” for not conducting cell checks, as required.
In 2016, Stegall was written up again for “inefficiency” for numerous inmate complaints and for not properly documenting training of another jailer.
In 2012, Stegall was suspended for three days for using a department computer for unauthorized internet access.
In 2009, he was written up for neglect of duty for failing to tend to an inmate. Also in 2009, Stegall was written up for neglect of duty for not properly securing a large knife that was brought in with an inmate.
Another neglect of duty write up was in Stegall’s file for being late to work in 2008. In 2007, he was charged with two counts of neglect of duty for failing to fingerprint inmates, and another time for not properly documenting cell checks.
Requests for a comment from Sheriff Vernon P. Stanforth was not immediately returned.
He should have been demoted, then fired long ago. Why is our Sheriff so so tolerant of these acts?? I worked in Corrections. That would never ever be tolerated!! Sgt. Weidman is excellent over the department that includes jailers and inmates
and should receive an accomodation for his work inside the department. Deputy Hines, but especially Deputy Greenlee should be promoted according to what I have seen.