Prison officials deny inmate's bid to attend daughter's funeral

State prison officials declined requests to allow an inmate to attend the funeral of his 17-year old daughter on Saturday.

Wayne Porretti, who is serving a 10-year sentence for robbery in a penitentiary in Jean, Nev., pleaded with officials last week to visit his daughter before she died of complications from pneumonia. Nevada Department of Prisons spokesman Glen Whorton said that Porretti did not meet the custody criteria for a visit to the hospital, nor to attend the funeral.

The Porretti family enlisted the help of a Clark County district attorney's office investigator and reportedly, Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammagren, in an attempt to persuade prison officials to allow Wayne Porretti to make a trip outside of the prison. After the death of Samantha Elizabeth Porretti, the family continued to make pleas to allow Wayne Porretti to attend the funeral, to no avail.

"It's too late for Sam and Wayne," said Adele Boucher, a cousin of the family. "But somebody out there has got to change the rules so that this doesn't happen to another family."

Whorton said only minimum security prisoners are eligible for such family-emergency trips, and that there are no plans to change policy. Porretti is in the more secure "close custody."

Funeral services for Samantha Elizabeth Porretti were held Saturday at Desert Hills Baptist Church.

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