Northumberland County inmate death confirmed suicide

Francis Scarcella, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·3 min read

Sep. 21—COAL TOWNSHIP — The death of Northumberland County Prison inmate Sean Beers is a suicide, county officials said Monday. Beers died nearly eight years after one of his brothers also died from suicide while in county jail.

Beers, 34, of Paxinos, was found unresponsive in his cell at 8:36 p.m. Sept. 15 prison officials said. On Monday, Sean Beers' brother, Jason, confirmed that Sean was the brother of Andrew Beers, 27, who also died of suicide by hanging in 2013, according to prison officials.

Jason Beers, of Mount Carmel, denied comment Monday on the deaths but confirmed Sean and Andrew are his brothers.

Following two suicides in 2013, county officials said they were launching an investigation into the policies and procedures at the jail, then located along Second Street in Sunbury. That prison was destroyed by fire in 2015 and the new prison, located in Coal Township, opened in 2017. County officials said in 2013 they were concerned with the Andrew Beers incident as well as that of Cyrus Lewis, 34, of Shamokin, who also was found unresponsive in his cell. County officials later confirmed Lewis' cause of death was suicide by hanging.

The most recent death also had county officials concerned and Warden Bruce Kovach, who was not at the jail when Sean Beers was discovered, said he did not receive a complete report from an investigation that was launched into the incident last week. Kovach said guards do regular cell checks and those with potential personal issues are monitored on a more regular basis.

Northumberland County settled lawsuits with the Beers family for $75,000 in 2017, and the Lewis family for $300,000 in 2019, according to officials. Details of either settlement were not released to the public.

Kovach, who was not the warden in 2013, said guards are trained and look for specific signs and extra precautions are put in place if anything even remotely shows an issue.

County Commissioner Joe Klebon, who is in charge of the jail, said he is also looking at what can be done to prevent any other similar situations and will be reviewing a full report after an investigation was done by police, Kovach and county Detective Degg Stark. The district attorney's office does not comment on ongoing investigations.

Lewis' widow, Hope Dewalt, of Selinsgrove, said she feels for the Beers family. She said she was in contact with them in 2013 and now again recently.

"It's like it all happened all over again," she said Monday. "Once is enough but then to have this happen a second time is something no family should have to go through. I let them know I was here for them to talk to. I wanted to make sure they were doing OK. This is something that you just never get over."

Dewalt said she often hears from people who ask how she is doing after her own ordeal with dealing with a spouse who died from suicide.

"I always ask what is seven years supposed to feel like?" she said. "I sit back and think, I lost a spouse and the mother of the Beer's children lost two sons. It's heartbreaking."

Dewalt said mental illness is something people need to pay attention to.

"I only hope people can see the signs and pay attention to them," she said. "To have this happen to anyone or family is something that you really just never heal from."