THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 7, 1997 TAG: 9702070614
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RENO, NEV. LENGTH: 29 lines
An inmate who was disciplined for a snide remark about a former Nevada official, who now runs Virginia's prisons, has been awarded $4,000 by a federal jury.
Phillip Tragale was an inmate at Ely State Prison in 1993 when he sent a letter to the Ely Daily Times criticizing a proposal to close prison conservation camps.
Tragale said then-prison director Ronald J. Angelone ``couldn't buy a loaf of bread and find his way home before it got stale.''
Angelone has been Virginia's prison director since 1994.
Prison officials determined the letter violated prison rules because it presented false and misleading information.
As punishment, Tragale spent five days in disciplinary detention and lost the privilege of using electrical appliances for 30 days.
Tragale's lawsuit claimed the disciplinary action violated his constitutional right of free speech.
U.S. District Judge David Hagen agreed.
In Virginia, Corrections spokesman David Botkins released a statement Thursday that Angelone continues to believe Tragale made a ``false and misleading statement.''