Pa. federal inmate sues over discarded sandwiches

[October 05, 2010]  LORETTO, Pa. (AP) -- An inmate of a federal prison in central Pennsylvania is suing, saying he was wrongly punished for "theft" when all he did was take about 30 sandwiches that a vendor threw in the garbage while restocking a dining hall machine.

Thirty-five-year-old George Crute III, is suing officials at the Federal Correctional Institution-Loretto over the Feb. 5 incident.

Crute says he wrongly lost his "good conduct" time that would have shortened his sentence and his job as a clerk.

Prison officials contend Crute took the sandwiches out of the machine.

The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown says a guard claims Crute ran away with a garbage bag when an officer tried to question him. Crute's lawsuit says the sandwiches were fair game after the vendor tossed.

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Information from: The Tribune-Democrat, http://www.tribune-democrat.com/

[Associated Press]

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