Cuomo launches prison break investigation
ALBANY – The state's inspector general will conduct a broad investigation into the escape of two convicted murderers from one of the state's most notorious prisons, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.
Cuomo directed Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott to begin the investigation, asking her to contract with an outside expert on prison issues to assist.
The inquiry was launched 10 days after two convicted killers — Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 35 — escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, Clinton County, in the Plattsburgh area. The pair, who remain on the loose despite a massive manhunt, successfully executed an elaborate escape plan that saw them cut through walls and pipes with power tools.
"Capturing these killers and returning them to state custody remains our top priority — however, it's critically important to examine the circumstances that enabled these inmates to escape in the first place," Cuomo said in a statement. "Today I am directing the Inspector General to initiate an investigation into the facts surrounding this case, and report back on what steps need to be taken to help ensure this situation is not repeated."
Meanwhile, Joyce Mitchell, 51, appeared in Plattsburgh City Court on Monday after she was arrested Friday and charged with aiding the escape of the two men. She faces up to seven years in prison on charges that she supplied hacksaw blades, a screwdriver bit and other tools to the inmates.
Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie indicated that Mitchell told investigators she initially planned to flee with the men because of an intimate relationship she had with Sweat, but backed out because she said she loved her husband.
Cuomo's call for an investigation comes amid growing scrutiny over how the maximum-security prison, known as "Little Siberia," is run. Gannett's Albany Bureau reported that the prison had a 45 percent increase in serious incidents between 2012 and 2013, the most recent figures available.
State lawmakers have indicated that they too may launch hearings into how the escape could have happened and whether there need to be systematic changes to the state's prison system.
The state Inspector General's Office has wide authority to investigate complaints in the executive branch, including within the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which oversees the prison system.
The position comes with significant investigatory powers, including the ability to issue subpoenas, recommend any disciplinary action and refer findings to law enforcement for prosecution.
"I am committing all resources necessary to conduct an expedient and comprehensive investigation into all of the circumstances that led to the escape of the two inmates," Leahy Scott said in a statement. "I will follow the evidence wherever it leads."
The search for Matt and Sweat, meanwhile, continues.
The escapees, who are both considered to be very dangerous, are the subject of an extensive hunt, which included more than 800 law enforcement officers as of Monday morning, according to Cuomo's office. The search has so far focused largely on the North Country, though Cuomo has acknowledged the escapees could be anywhere from Canada to Mexico.
"We don't know if they are still in the area or if they're in Mexico by now," Cuomo said Sunday.
Sweat was serving a life-without-parole sentence for the slaying of a Broome County sheriff's deputy in a Kirkwood park in 2002.
Matt was convicted of killing and dismembering a Niagara County businessman in 1997. His sentence was 25 years to life.
JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com
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Includes reporting by Albany Bureau Chief Joseph Spector.