Reported by Carrie Aiken
SMYRNA- There is new leadership in a troubled prison. David Pierce has been named deputy warden at the Delaware Correctional Center in Smyrna. br> DOC officials confirm Pierce is the man a prison counselor ended up contacting when she had concerns about safety at the prison back in the summer. Welch said the counselor originally sent the e-mail about her safety concerns to a captain who turned out to be on vacation. So the e-mail was forwarded to Pierce. br> In the e-mail, the counselor expressed fear about security just a week before she was taken hostage and raped by inmate Scott A. Miller. The hostage standoff took place July 12 and only ended after Miller was killed by a sharpshooter's bullets. br> Welch said there is no indication at this point that Pierce did not respond to the e-mail as he should have. And, as for his promotion, Welch said deputy wardens are chosen based on their entire career, not just one incident. br> "You look into what they have already done to prove themselves in those areas and the thoughts he has in moving forward," Pierce said. "So all of those things are taken into consideration when you're going through the interview process." br> The counselor's lawyers said it is too early for them to comment on Pierce's promotion. They say they still do not know what action Pierce took when he received the e-mail from their client. They said they are waiting for the results of the ongoing investigation into the hostage crisis before they comment. The counselor's attorney Jeff Martin said, "To the best of our knowledge he did not respond. Certainly Cassie [the counselor] is not aware of that and from what happened on July 12. We would assume that no response to the e-mail was made." br> The Department of Corrections internal investigation report on the July 12 hostage situation is expected to be released on Wednesday. DOC officials confirm Pierce is the man a prison counselor ended up contacting when she had concerns about safety at the prison back in the summer. Welch said the counselor originally sent the e-mail about her safety concerns to a captain who turned out to be on vacation. So the e-mail was forwarded to Pierce. In the e-mail, the counselor expressed fear about security just a week before she was taken hostage and raped by inmate Scott A. Miller. The hostage standoff took place July 12 and only ended after Miller was killed by a sharpshooter's bullets. Welch said there is no indication at this point that Pierce did not respond to the e-mail as he should have. And, as for his promotion, Welch said deputy wardens are chosen based on their entire career, not just one incident. "You look into what they have already done to prove themselves in those areas and the thoughts he has in moving forward," Pierce said. "So all of those things are taken into consideration when you're going through the interview process." The counselor's lawyers said it is too early for them to comment on Pierce's promotion. They say they still do not know what action Pierce took when he received the e-mail from their client. They said they are waiting for the results of the ongoing investigation into the hostage crisis before they comment. The counselor's attorney Jeff Martin said, "To the best of our knowledge he did not respond. Certainly Cassie [the counselor] is not aware of that and from what happened on July 12. We would assume that no response to the e-mail was made." The Department of Corrections internal investigation report on the July 12 hostage situation is expected to be released on Wednesday. DOC officials confirm Pierce is the man a prison counselor ended up contacting when she had concerns about safety at the prison back in the summer. Welch said the counselor originally sent the e-mail about her safety concerns to a captain who turned out to be on vacation. So the e-mail was forwarded to Pierce. In the e-mail, the counselor expressed fear about security just a week before she was taken hostage and raped by inmate Scott A. Miller. The hostage standoff took place July 12 and only ended after Miller was killed by a sharpshooter's bullets. Welch said there is no indication at this point that Pierce did not respond to the e-mail as he should have. And, as for his promotion, Welch said deputy wardens are chosen based on their entire career, not just one incident. "You look into what they have already done to prove themselves in those areas and the thoughts he has in moving forward," Pierce said. "So all of those things are taken into consideration when you're going through the interview process." The counselor's lawyers said it is too early for them to comment on Pierce's promotion. They say they still do not know what action Pierce took when he received the e-mail from their client. They said they are waiting for the results of the ongoing investigation into the hostage crisis before they comment. The counselor's attorney Jeff Martin said, "To the best of our knowledge he did not respond. Certainly Cassie [the counselor] is not aware of that and from what happened on July 12. We would assume that no response to the e-mail was made." The Department of Corrections internal investigation report on the July 12 hostage situation is expected to be released on Wednesday.
