State officials say they have reason to believe the two inmates who escaped from a New York maximum security prison might be hiding out in Vermont. (Reuters)
The manhunt for two convicted killers who made a daring escape from a maximum-security prison in upstate New York continues to grow, with more law enforcement personnel joining the search that has spread across state lines.
More than 450 agents are searching for fugitives Richard Matt and David Sweat, according to New York State Police, who are now coordinating with their counterparts in neighboring Vermont. Matt, 48, and Sweat, 34, have been on the run since they used power tools to break out of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., on Friday night or early Saturday morning.
“We have information that suggests that they thought New York was going to be hot, and Vermont would be cooler in terms of law enforcement, and a camp in Vermont might be a better place to be,” Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (R) said Wednesday, according to the Burlington Free Press.
But, Shumlin said: “This is no time to panic. It’s a time to be sensible. If you see suspicious people, don’t go near them, call law enforcement.”
[Tim Robbins has had enough of your ‘Shawshank’ prison-escape comparisons]
Vermont State Police took pains to remind the public “that there has been NO SIGHTING of the pair in Vermont” and promised, in a news release, that law enforcement in the Green Mountain State “will be vigilant in apprehending the subjects BEFORE they enter Vermont.”
Law enforcement agents in New York have been going door to door in the area around the prison, as well, as the manhunt continues.
The Saranac Central School District in Dannemora closed Thursday “to assist law enforcement personnel with their search efforts,” superintendent Jonathan Parks said on the district’s Web site. And New York State Police have closed Route 374, east of Dannemora, “to investigate a lead involving the escapees.”
In all, more than 500 leads have been generated since prison officials discovered Saturday that Matt and Sweat were missing.
The two men — referred to as “dangerous individuals” by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) — used power tools to drill through the prison’s steel walls and pipes, then crawled to their freedom through tunnels, popping out of a manhole in a nearby neighborhood. They left behind decoy dummies as well as a note taunting prison officials.
Authorities discovered that their adjoining cells were empty during a morning check at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, at which point officials immediately locked down the prison and began investigating the men’s disappearance.
[How to escape a maximum security prison]
It was the first time anyone had escaped from the maximum-security portion of the institution, which has been open since 1865 and is known as “Little Siberia” because of its isolated location and the region’s harsh winters.
It is now the longest jailbreak in New York history, Reuters reported.
But, the newspaper noted:
Police are going door to door in the neighborhood surrounding the Clinton Correctional facility in Dannemora, N.Y., refocusing their search in the area as the manhunt enters its fifth day. (AP)
J. Freedom du Lac is the editor of The Post's general assignment news desk. He was previously a Local enterprise reporter and, before that, the paper’s pop music critic.
Sarah Larimer is a general assignment reporter for the Washington Post.
The manhunt for two convicted killers who made a daring escape from a maximum-security prison in upstate New York continues to grow, with more law enforcement personnel joining the search that has spread across state lines.
More than 450 agents are searching for fugitives Richard Matt and David Sweat, according to New York State Police, who are now coordinating with their counterparts in neighboring Vermont. Matt, 48, and Sweat, 34, have been on the run since they used power tools to break out of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., on Friday night or early Saturday morning.
“We have information that suggests that they thought New York was going to be hot, and Vermont would be cooler in terms of law enforcement, and a camp in Vermont might be a better place to be,” Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (R) said Wednesday, according to the Burlington Free Press.
But, Shumlin said: “This is no time to panic. It’s a time to be sensible. If you see suspicious people, don’t go near them, call law enforcement.”
[Tim Robbins has had enough of your ‘Shawshank’ prison-escape comparisons]
Vermont State Police took pains to remind the public “that there has been NO SIGHTING of the pair in Vermont” and promised, in a news release, that law enforcement in the Green Mountain State “will be vigilant in apprehending the subjects BEFORE they enter Vermont.”
Law enforcement agents in New York have been going door to door in the area around the prison, as well, as the manhunt continues.
The Saranac Central School District in Dannemora closed Thursday “to assist law enforcement personnel with their search efforts,” superintendent Jonathan Parks said on the district’s Web site. And New York State Police have closed Route 374, east of Dannemora, “to investigate a lead involving the escapees.”
In all, more than 500 leads have been generated since prison officials discovered Saturday that Matt and Sweat were missing.
The two men — referred to as “dangerous individuals” by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) — used power tools to drill through the prison’s steel walls and pipes, then crawled to their freedom through tunnels, popping out of a manhole in a nearby neighborhood. They left behind decoy dummies as well as a note taunting prison officials.
Authorities discovered that their adjoining cells were empty during a morning check at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, at which point officials immediately locked down the prison and began investigating the men’s disappearance.
[How to escape a maximum security prison]
It was the first time anyone had escaped from the maximum-security portion of the institution, which has been open since 1865 and is known as “Little Siberia” because of its isolated location and the region’s harsh winters.
It is now the longest jailbreak in New York history, Reuters reported.
The longest previous escape from a New York prison lasted just three days, according to data from the New York Department of Corrections. In the last decade, freedom lasted less than six hours for 60 percent of the 30 inmates who succeeded in breaking out.“We don’t know that they’ve left the state or left the area,” New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico said at a Wednesday news conference, the Burlington Free Press reported.
But, the newspaper noted:
D’Amico of the New York State Police acknowledged that Matt and Sweat could have slipped into Vermont before prison guards were even aware of their absence.Cuomo has announced a $100,000 reward for information that would help investigators capture the inmates.
The prison is 19 miles from the Cumberland Head ferry dock, which serves passengers going to and from Grand Isle.
“They could have had a pretty good lead on us,” D’Amico said.
Police are going door to door in the neighborhood surrounding the Clinton Correctional facility in Dannemora, N.Y., refocusing their search in the area as the manhunt enters its fifth day. (AP)
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