A former SCI Pine Grove inmate was found guilty of the attempted murder of two state troopers last year along with sixteen other counts.
A jury found 21-year-old Simere Alford of Philadelphia guilty of two counts each of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, assault of an officer, assault by a prisoner and reckless endangerment and individual counts of robbery, theft by unlawful taking, illegal possession of a firearm, institutional vandalism, disarming an officer, attempted escape and resisting arrest for the incident on June 24th of 2019. Alford was in the back of a police car and was being taken back to SCI Pine Grove after a hearing when he broke free of his restraints, reached into the front seat and grabbed the gun of Trooper Jeremy Leasure. He fired a shot that missed Leasure’s head. Leasure grabbed the gun as Alford fired a second shot that hit Alford in the leg and foot. The vehicle then crashed into a guide rail. Trooper Allison Goswick got out of the car and opened the rear door as Leasure and Alford wrestled. Leasure was able to disarm Alford and get him out of the car and force him to the ground.
Alford and both troopers were taken to IRMC for treatment. Trooper Goswick suffered a broken arm in the crash.
A sentencing hearing is set for November 13th before Judge William Martin. Alford is currently serving 13 to 40 years in prison for the suffocation death of his sister, who was found with a plastic bag over her head in 2017.
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