Sep 30, 2021 4 min read

The sheriff’s office is reevaluating how deputies check visitors entering the Washington County Courthouse after three apparent security breaches in a little more than two months this summer.

A meeting was held in early September between Sheriff Samuel Romano and President Judge John DiSalle to discuss courthouse security shortly after a man was able to bring a folding knife into the booking center inside the Family Court Center annex during a weekend check.

“As in law enforcement, we’re always trying to tweak and train and do better,” Romano said Wednesday. “We’re always going to reevaluate and do things as efficiently as possible. If there’s a better way to do it, we’ll do it.”

Richard Keeney, 59, of Canton Township, had a knife connected to his waistband when he allegedly brought it through security Sept. 4. The metal detector alerted the on-duty deputy, who then used a handheld wand to scan Keeney, according to court documents. Keeney told the deputy that he had knee replacement surgery, and then he was allowed to proceed after being checked.

Keeney later told a worker in the booking center he had the two-inch folding knife in his waistband hidden underneath his shirt, which he forget about during security, according to court documents. Deputies confiscated the knife and returned it to him when he left. He was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a courthouse facility, which was docketed at District Judge Robert Redlinger’s office Tuesday afternoon.

That incident earlier this month followed two other security situations over the summer.

Reed Marshall Morrow was accused June 28 of bringing three bags through security and later telling an attorney one of them had a bomb detonator inside, prompting the evacuation of the courthouse. No explosives were found in Morrow’s bag, but he was charged with terroristic threats causing the evacuation of a building.

On Aug. 20, Register of Wills James Roman was accused of bringing a handgun in his bag through security and was charged with possession of a firearm in a courthouse facility. Roman posted on his office’s Facebook page Aug. 25 a day after the charge was filed that he “forgot it was in my bag” and that the deputies initially “didn’t notice” before they spoke to him about the firearm and told him to return it to his vehicle. Court documents indicated a deputy noticed the handgun in the X-ray scan following a shift change during lunch.

There have been noticeable changes over the past two weeks at the security checkpoint at the only public entrance to the building on West Cherry Avenue, with visitors now required to place bags and all other personal belongings in large trays that are fed through the X-ray machine. Previously, only bags were scanned, while pocket items such as keys, wallets and cellphones were placed in a clear plastic bin and inspected by deputies. Visitors still must walk through a metal detector.

A memo from Romano dated Sept. 16 explaining the new procedure is posted on a table as visitors enter security.

Specific details about what Romano and DiSalle discussed at their meeting earlier this month were not released, although Chief Deputy Tony Andronas said that it centered around security. DiSalle could not be reached for comment Wednesday to elaborate on what was discussed with the sheriff and other court officials.

Andronas said Wednesday that they’ve made adjustments to security, including purchasing the larger trays so personal items can go through the X-ray machine along with bags. He said the sheriff’s office also underwent “remedial” training with federal authorities in July, although he said it was a “refresher course” and not the result of the bomb threat incident in late June.

The number of people coming through security in recent months has increased as courthouse functions and legal proceedings have expanded after being mostly dormant in 2020 at the height the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, sheriff’s deputies are also in charge of enforcing DiSalle’s order on Aug. 4 requiring everyone in the courthouse to wear face masks in most situations.

“There’s no doubt there were a lot of cases that were continued to this year,” Andronas said of the increase in visitors. “We definitely have more patrons coming through with the (lifting) of the COVID concerns.”

The West Cherry Avenue entrance between the main courthouse and Family Court Center annex is the only public entryway to the building after the South Main Street doors were closed last year. It was not known when the main entrance to the courthouse will reopen to the public.

“That side entrance is a busy entrance,” Andronas said. “Between last year and this year, it’s been busy.”