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Wednesday, January 26, 2000 Page: 7A
WILKES-BARRE – A known jail house lawyer, who faces trial on allegations he
filed a false sexual assault lawsuit against a guard at the State Correctional
Institution at Dallas, has succeeded in getting one charge against him
dropped.
However, Theodore Savage still faces a host of other charges.
Savage, 31, an inmate at SCI Greene, was charged in July with three counts
of unsworn falsification, two counts each of forgery and false reports and one
count each of retaliation for past official action and barratry.
Barratry, a crime committed by filing fictitious, unjust lawsuits, was
dismissed by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Hugh Mundy.
Savage filed a writ of habeas corpus motion to have all of the charges
dropped, but Mundy stated Savage’s other arguments were “clearly without
merit.”
Mundy said state law indicates several acts must be committed to constitute
barratry and the evidence presented showed that Savage filed only a single
suit.
The charges stem from a lawsuit Savage filed against correctional officer
John Ontko.
A state agent and another Dallas inmate testified at the preliminary
hearing that Savage told them the lawsuit’s allegations were false. Savage
also was said to have admitted he filed the suit in retaliation for Ontko
filing a misconduct report against him.
Savage sought $50,000 in the suit.