HOUTZDALE, Pa. (EYT) – The death of a child rapist from Clarion County who was serving a 40-year sentence at SCI Houtzdale has been ruled a homicide.
According to Clearfield County Coroner Kim Shaffer Snyder, the cause of death for SCI Houtzdale inmate Garrick Bloom, 48, originally of Shippenville, was ruled to be ligature strangulation.
Ligature strangulation as defined by Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock is strangulation by a constricting band tightened by a force other than the body weight.
Snyder told exploreClarion.com Bloom’s death has been ruled a homicide.
Bloom’s death remains under investigation by the Pennsylvania’s State Police at Clearfield.
According to a representative of the Clearfield-based State Police, no additional details are available at this time.
State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Houtzdale Superintendent Barry Smith reported Bloom’s death of on August 29.
According to a release from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Bloom was found unresponsive in his cell at approximately 11:03 p.m. on August 29. Officers and medical staff immediately responded to the scene to administer life saving measures to no avail. EMS responded to the facility and declared inmate Bloom dead.
Bloom was serving a sentence of 40 to 80 years for rape of a child on a Clarion County conviction, effective October 29, 2019.
The sentence was passed by Judge James Arner on September 11, 2019. Arner ordered Bloom to a minimum of 96 months to a maximum of 192 months on each of five first-degree felony counts of Rape of a Child, with the sentences to be served consecutively.
Bloom received 181 days credit for time served.
He was also required to register as a Tier 3 sex offender, which required a lifetime registration.
Bloom pleaded guilty to the above charges on August 14, 2019.
As a result of the plea agreement, the following charges were dismissed:
- Rape of a Child, Felony 1 (211 counts)
- Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child, Felony 1 (216 counts)
- Aggravated Indecent Assault of Child, Felony 1 (216 counts)
- Statutory Sexual Assault, Felony 2 (216 counts)
- Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Felony 3
Bloom had been at SCI Houtzdale since December 5, 2019.
SCI Houtzdale facility staff notified Bloom’s next-of-kin.
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