By Liz Zemba
Tribune-Review
FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — The Fayette County Prison Board, acting on complaints from residents, will investigate its prison chaplain’s criminal past.
After a closed-door executive session on Wednesday, county Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky said the board authorized the investigation after learning of residents’ concerns regarding the Rev. Terry Sanders’ background.
Those concerns include Sanders’ convictions 22 years ago on robbery, theft and drug charges. Online court records indicate Sanders entered guilty pleas to the cases in 1992 and 1993 and served time in jail.
Contacted after the meeting, Sanders, 50, of Uniontown acknowledged the convictions. He said they were the result of poor decisions made while he struggled with drug and alcohol addictions.
“There is never a good decision that can be made when you have a life involved with excessive drugs and alcohol,” Sanders said.
“I had a prodigal son experience, where I had done some things, where the redemption came from God,” Sanders said. “When the prodigal son came to his right mind, he went back to his father, so I went back to our Father, who redeemed my life, who gave me a life of being able to help redeem others, and I have done that from that day forward.”
Sanders said his actions in the years since the convictions speak for themselves. He said he was a college graduate before the convictions, and he later attended theology school and is now a certified pastor.
He said his past has allowed him to communicate more effectively with inmates. He estimated he has ministered to thousands of inmates in the past decade.
“Lives will be changed because of a chaplain who shared his experience about his past with the men and women who are inmates, letting them know if God can redeem me, he can and will redeem you,” Sanders said.
“I’ll continue to do that, whether it’s from the Fayette County Prison or not from the Fayette County Prison,” Sanders said.
Zapotosky said the investigation will include an examination of Sanders’ application to work for the county.
Board members were hesitant to discuss details because it is a personnel matter, with Human Resources Director Dominick Carnicella cautioning them not to talk publicly about the issue.
Sheriff Gary Brownfield, another board member, would say only that the board will call a special meeting for further action if the investigation warrants taking that step.
Prior to the closed-door executive session, Brownfield acknowledged he had concerns over Sanders’ past when a Uniontown resident, William Jones, asked if the board had conducted a background check.
Jones alleged Sanders was let go from a position with a Fairchance church for “falsifying an application.” Sanders said the allegation is untrue, indicating he left of his own accord when the job did not work out.
“When I left there over a year ago, I told that church I would not quote a negative word about them,” Sanders said. “And I’m not going to do it today. However, the statement that I was fired is a false statement, and I’m praying for those individuals.”