Greene emergency officials, DA at odds over 鈥榮top the bleed鈥� kits
news@greenecountymessenger.com
The Greene County district attorney鈥檚 office seized 18 鈥渟top the bleed鈥� kits meant for paramedics while treating trauma wounds, prompting backlash from county officials who said they had no right to be removed from their custody.
Chief Detective Zachary Sams filed a search warrant Sept. 8 accusing county officials of misappropriating the equipment because the trauma kits were not given to police officers and firefighters, although four of the units had been given to the local ambulance service.
But county officials in court papers said the situation 鈥渓iterally put the lives of Greene County citizens in danger 鈥� due to the District Attorney鈥檚 office鈥檚 unlawful seizure of all the 鈥楽top The Bleed鈥� kits鈥� for more than a month.
Detectives working for District Attorney David Russo began looking into the county鈥檚 disbursement of the trauma kits after police officers responding to the March 3 shooting outside the Circle K in Carmichaels complained they did not have equipment to aid the three gunshot victims. While researching the handling of the kits, Sams discovered that no police or fire departments had been given the pouches that include tourniquets and cloths designed to control heavy bleeding. However, Sams incorrectly wrote in his search warrant filed at District Judge David Balint鈥檚 office that EMS Southwest also was not given any kits.
Greene County purchased the kits in January 2019 and February 2020 through various grant programs for a combined cost of $4,778, and promptly gave four of them to EMS Southwest. It was not known why the other kits were never disbursed.
After filing for the search warrant, Russo鈥檚 detectives required Greene County EMA officials to turn over 14 kits stores in its 鈥渉azmat鈥� trailer, but also inexplicably confiscated the four units that were given to EMS Southwest and placed in the Waynesburg-based service鈥檚 ambulances. That prompted county officials to file an emergency motion Sept. 26 in Greene County Court of Common Pleas demanding the kits be returned.
In its legal filing, the county contended the trauma kits were never meant to be given to police officers or firefighters after the state鈥檚 Region 13 Task Force decided they are solely to be used by trained medics while treating traumatic bleeding wounds. The task force鈥檚 board, which includes emergency officials from 13 counties in Western Pennsylvania, discussed the possibility of supplying police officers with the kits, but decided they 鈥渨ould be put to better use by trained EMS personnel.鈥�
While the search warrant appears to accuse Greene County officials of misappropriating government resources, no charges have been filed. In response, the county officials claimed the district attorney鈥檚 office 鈥渆xceeded its authority鈥� and demanded the kits be returned.
鈥淭he Greene County District Attorney鈥檚 Office had no lawful basis or justification to seize the (stop the bleed) kits,鈥� the county鈥檚 motion claimed.
A hearing was held Friday morning before President Judge Louis Dayich to discuss the matter, and county officials came to an agreement with Russo to have the four kits immediately returned to EMS Southwest. The other 14 kits will be given back to the county this week, although it鈥檚 unclear if or how they鈥檒l be distributed.
Russo said the search was filed in response to a previous investigation into the county鈥檚 911 operations after a dispatcher refused to send an ambulance to a Sycamore woman in July 2020. Diania Kronk died a day after not receiving treatment, and investigators charged the 911 dispatcher, Leon Price, with involuntary manslaughter in June. Three other high-ranking emergency officials at the time 鈥� Richard Policz, Robert 鈥淛eff鈥� Rhodes and Gregory Leathers 鈥� were charged in July and accused of withholding documents requested by Russo鈥檚 detectives during the investigation.
In an email statement Monday, Russo said the 14 kits in the county鈥檚 possession were 鈥渂uried in a storage closet鈥� at the Greene County 911 Center and were seven to nine months away from expiring. Russo said he hopes the remaining kits will be distributed to area police and fire departments before they expire, although he has no control over what happens to them. He added his office is continuing to investigate the situation.
鈥淭he Greene County District Attorney鈥檚 Office logged the kits into evidence and agreed to return the seized 鈥楽top the Bleed Kits鈥� so they may be distributed to the appropriate First Responding Agencies for the safety of Greene County citizens, and so that the kits may be used to benefit our community before their expiration,鈥� Russo said in a written statement.
Policz, who is Greene County鈥檚 emergency management director, declined comment Monday and referred questions to the county commissioners.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 out of my hands,鈥� Policz said.
Greene County Commission Chairman Mike Belding said during a phone interview Monday that the seizure could have presented a danger to the community if they were needed in an emergency.
鈥淭he only stop the bleed kits in Greene County were in the DA鈥檚 office for (more than) three weeks,鈥� Belding said.