Crawford County Correctional Facility, Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Monday, November 15, 2010
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: 3 years, 8 months
Badge Number: 73
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: October 13, 2010
Weapon Used: Person
Suspect Info: Sentenced to five years
Correctional Officer Gary Chapin succumbed to injuries sustained one month earlier after being attacked and beaten by an inmate in the Crawford County Correctional Facility. He suffered a fractured skull and several broken ribs in the assault.
Officer Chapin was transported to Wesbury United Methodist Community Hospital but never regained consciousness after the attack.
The inmate who beat him was in jail on a parole violation at the time. The assault occurred because the inmate was upset about an unsharpened pencil. The inmate was charged with criminal homicide, however, in October 2011 the jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. He was subsequently sentenced to 2-1/2 to five years in prison.
Officer Chapin had served with the Crawford County Correctional Facility for almost four years. He had previously served as a police officer with the Linesville Police Department, Jamestown Police Department, Conneaut Lake Police Department, West Mead Township Police Department and Cambridge Springs Police Department. He is survived by his wife and children.