Pedri: Female dies at Luzerne County Prison

A female inmate died at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre Wednesday afternoon, county Manager C. David Pedri announced “with great regret.”

According to Pedri:

The victim, Mary Balliet, a Caucasian female, was brought to the prison around 2 a.m. Wednesday by Pittston police on bench warrants for parole violations tied to pending charges of resisting arrest, hindering apprehension and retail theft.

Balliet was 30, according to court records.

Upon intake, Balliet was discovered to have been suffering from a medical episode and was assigned to the medical unit for care. While there, her condition worsened, and she passed away despite intervention of the medical team to resuscitate her.

Pedri said Balliet was not restrained in any way during her time in the medical department.

The District Attorney’s Office and Coroner’s Office were immediately notified and are conducting an investigation. An autopsy will be performed.

Facility employees are “fully cooperating and complying with this investigation,” he wrote.

Staff members who were involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Balliet’s listed next of kin have been notified.

Pedri said he will provide updates as more information is made available.

While the exact circumstances of Balliet’s early Wednesday morning arrest are not immediately clear, court records show she had a number of cases in Luzerne County, including drug charges and retail theft.

Previous reporting from the Times Leader shows Balliet was arrested in November 2018 after failing to pay for cupcakes from Schiel’s Family Market. After police responded, police said at the time, a struggle ensued between Balliet and officers ensued, leading to one of the responding officers being shocked by his own Taser. The incident led to charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia and other charges.

The death comes as county officials face a backlash over the 2018 death of inmate Shaheen Mackey, a black man who became unresponsive while in a restraint chair at the prison, as seen in a 23-minute video released on social media last week.

A 41-year-old Berwick resident, Mackey died in June 2018 at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, two days after he was transported from the county prison in Wilkes-Barre. His estate argued in litigation he was suffering a seizure.

County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said her office completed a thorough investigation and found no evidence of criminal intent to harm Mackey.