Westmoreland prison guard charged after incident at Verizon store

A Westmoreland County Prison guard was charged last week in connection with a reported disruption at a Verizon store in North Huntingdon that prompted staff to hire armed security.

Scott Kennedy, 43, of North Huntingdon, is accused of yelling at employees there and threatening them, according to court papers. He is charged with disorderly conduct, defiant trespass and harassment, all misdemeanors.

Township police were called to the Magill Drive store Aug. 10 around 5 p.m. for a report of a disruptive man. There were four employees inside the store at the time.

They reported that Kennedy came in irate about his cellphone and demanded a new one, according to court papers. Police said Kennedy stormed out of the store after learning he would be sent a phone overnight through insurance.

But he returned, screaming names and insults at the employees and threatened to beat up a manager, police said. One employee reported Kennedy yelled aggressively in his face, according to court papers. He left before officers arrived. Police said the store hired an armed security guard because employees were concerned Kennedy would return.

Investigators received surveillance video of the incident, according to court papers.

Charges in the incident originally were filed Aug. 15 and during a preliminary hearing Tuesday, they were dismissed by District Judge Rebecca Tyburski because witnesses didn’t appear in court. Township police re-filed the case on Wednesday. The charges were sent by summons and a preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 22.

Jail officials said late Monday morning that Kennedy remained on active duty.

He could not be reached. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

Kennedy previously was suspended from his job after being charged in connection with a domestic dispute in 2022. Those charges ultimately were dismissed and he returned to work.

In that incident, he had been accused by police of grabbing a woman by the hair and forcing her to the ground as they left a North Huntingdon brewery. Police reported in a criminal complaint he again assaulted her at a North Irwin apartment.

He maintained his innocence of those charges, which were dismissed by a district judge.

Kennedy has worked as a jail guard since 2001. In 2022, his salary was $55,411.