Westmoreland prison guard charged after Verizon store incident

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

According to court documents, Scott Kennedy, 43, of North Huntingdon, is accused of yelling and threatening employees there. He is charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing and harassment, all misdemeanors.

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

They reported that Kennedy became angry about his cellphone and demanded a new one, according to court documents. Police said Kennedy stormed out of the store after learning that the insurance company would be sending him a phone overnight.

But he came back, shouting names and insults at employees and threatening to beat up a manager, police said. According to court documents, an employee reported that Kennedy yelled aggressively in his face. He left before officers arrived. Police said the store hired an armed security guard because employees feared Kennedy would return.

According to court documents, investigators obtained surveillance video of the incident.

Charges in the incident were originally filed Aug. 15 and were dismissed during a preliminary hearing Tuesday by District Judge Rebecca Tyburski because no witnesses appeared in court. The municipal police re-filed the case on Wednesday. The charges were served via subpoena and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22.

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

He couldn't be reached. No attorney was listed in online court records.

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

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

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

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