A Philadelphia corrections officer surrendered to investigators from the District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday to face allegations that she threatened and abused a woman inmate, then filed a false complaint that led to the inmate’s arrest.
Yolanda Greer, 51, was charged with tampering with public records (a felony), along with misdemeanor counts of filing false reports, unsworn falsification, obstructing justice and official oppression. She was also charged with summary harassment.
Greer, a 16-year veteran employee of the Philadelphia Prison System, alleged that she was threatened by an inmate of the Riverside Correctional Facility on Oct. 7, 2014. Greer reported that when she asked the inmate to surrender a visitor pass, the inmate responded with cursing, screaming and threats to shoot Greer. Based on Greer’s statements, authorities re-arrested the inmate and charged her with making terroristic threats.
But when investigators from the DA’s office reviewed surveillance video of the episode, they saw that the inmate had surrendered the pass peaceably. After that, Greer taunted the inmate by pretending to give back the pass multiple times. Eventually, Greer pointed a mace canister at the inmate, although the inmate had not acted in a threatening way. After seeing the video, authorities withdrew the new charge against the inmate.
The Philadelphia Prison System fired Greer as a result of her arrest. ••
