Rochester, N.Y. (AP) - New York corrections officials say an
inmate who raped a 12-year-old female relative in 1996 has returned
to prison after an outcry over his eligibility for a heart
transplant.
Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman Linda Foglia
said Monday that Kenneth Pike was flown back to a medical unit at
Coxsackie prison in the Hudson Valley on Friday from Strong Hospital in Rochester
where he was taken for a transplant evaluation last month.
The 55-year-old's sister, Sharon Cardinal, said he changed his
mind about the transplant after news reports sparked a debate over
inmates receiving organ transplants at taxpayers' expense. The
procedure could have cost up to $800,000.
Pike is serving an 18-to-40-year sentence. Relatives say he has
a pacemaker, recently underwent a triple bypass and would likely
die without a transplant.
