NY - Captured, escaped convicted killers, David Sweat & Richard Matt, Dannemora #8

[Bravo]

On CNN, Anderson Cooper said that the FBI may be investigating the prison due to the drug trade. Did anyone else hear that? Is that true?
As someone who lives in NYS - I'd feel better if an independent group investigated the prison - rather than people who are appointed by the Governor or have conflicts of interest.
I know in my local prisons, contraband is coming in all the time - but it is soon discovered and dealt with.
Thanks

Yes. Apparently Heroin.

 

[GGE]

has anyone heard from the higher ups? Warden? Isn't that the one who is in charge of everyone?

"We've done away with wardens in this state, now we call them Superintendents" says CNN guest Jeff Dumas.

ETA - scratch what I just said before I deleted it - here's the super -
"New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (2nd L) tours the Clinton Correctional Facility with prison Superintendent Steven Racette (L), Acting Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci and Deputy Commissioner for Facility Operations Joseph..."

 

[karen in New York]

"We've done away with wardens in this state, now we call them Superintendents" says CNN guest Jeff Dumas.

So THAT"S why D'Amico was at all the news conferences. He's the super.

County level prisons still have WARDENs.

 

[GGE]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015...risoners-superintendent-idUSKBN0OY2I620150618

"A daring escape by two convicted murderers from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, has thrust the prison's superintendent, Steven Racette, into the spotlight as officials examine conditions surrounding the June 6 breakout.

Hundreds of law enforcement officials have joined the hunt for the men who escaped, but investigators have also turned their attention to conditions inside the prison before and during the breakout, including a look at Racette's management of the facility."

"How all of this went undetected at New York's largest prison is under investigation by the state's inspector general, which has the authority to seize documents and question witnesses, including Racette.

"The question that will have to be asked is, 'To what extent was he literally superintending the operation of the prison?'" said Martin Horn, a former prison official in New York City and Pennsylvania who now lectures at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

"Were there things that he knew but failed to act on, or didn't know but should have known? Was he diligently insuring that the requisite procedures were in place, and were being adhered to?"

Racette declined to be interviewed."

 

[GGE]

http://www.lakeplacidnews.com/page/...arge-of-Clinton-prison--update-.html?nav=5005

"Stressful time for Saranac Laker in charge of Clinton prison (update)
June 9, 2015

SARANAC LAKE - The superintendent of the Clinton Correctional Facility, one of the top officials dealing with this weekend's escape of two inmates from that prison, is also this village's reigning Winter Carnival king.

If only his reign over the Dannemora prison was as peaceful.

Longtime Saranac Lake resident Steve Racette was seen in television and newspaper images nationwide during Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tour of the escape route and press conference there Saturday. It's not a position a prison superintendent wants to find himself in - trying to figure out what went wrong in the only escape ever from the facility's 150-year-old maximum-security wing.

<snip>

In addition to being superintendent of Clinton Correctional, he is supervising superintendent of the Clinton Hub, which includes six prisons in northeastern New York: the maximum-security Clinton and Upstate (Malone), and the medium-security Adirondack (Ray Brook), Franklin (Malone), Bare Hill (Malone) and Altona. Also in the hub is DOCCS' area reporting office in Plattsburgh, and it included the medium-security prison in Chateaugay until that closed last year.

<snip>

"And then to be superintendent of Clinton Correctional is like a huge honor, and responsibility, for any Saranacer - and, frankly, for anyone in the Corrections Department. It's one of the biggest and one of the toughest. It's where they send the worst."

With that responsibility comes accountability. Rabideau said it must be "devastating" for Racette to be the man in charge during the first-ever breakout from Clinton's 150-year-old maximum-security wing. Still, he said he believes Racette will survive with his job intact."

 

[epiphany]

...[FBI] Agents are re-interviewing inmates and prison workers who have already been interviewed by state investigators,” a source familiar with the investigation said.

“This is a vote of no confidence by the feds in the state investigation. And it’s likely the state investigators did not ask pertinent questions regarding the drug trafficking that the FBI is currently asking. The information on the possible drug trafficking came up in the initial interviews conducted by state investigators with inmates and staff,” the source said.

http://nypost.com/2015/06/29/fbi-probing-escaped-killers-prison-for-drug-smuggling-ring/

 

[GGE]

County level prisons still have WARDENs.

I don't know much about it so all I have is the MSM information from CNN a short time ago to go on. But I would love to know who the warden IS, if there is one. I've searched for that information for a long time now over different days and weeks.

 

[MyBelle]

http://www.lakeplacidnews.com/page/...arge-of-Clinton-prison--update-.html?nav=5005

"Stressful time for Saranac Laker in charge of Clinton prison (update)
June 9, 2015

SARANAC LAKE - The superintendent of the Clinton Correctional Facility, one of the top officials dealing with this weekend's escape of two inmates from that prison, is also this village's reigning Winter Carnival king.

If only his reign over the Dannemora prison was as peaceful.

Longtime Saranac Lake resident Steve Racette was seen in television and newspaper images nationwide during Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tour of the escape route and press conference there Saturday. It's not a position a prison superintendent wants to find himself in - trying to figure out what went wrong in the only escape ever from the facility's 150-year-old maximum-security wing.

<snip>

In addition to being superintendent of Clinton Correctional, he is supervising superintendent of the Clinton Hub, which includes six prisons in northeastern New York: the maximum-security Clinton and Upstate (Malone), and the medium-security Adirondack (Ray Brook), Franklin (Malone), Bare Hill (Malone) and Altona. Also in the hub is DOCCS' area reporting office in Plattsburgh, and it included the medium-security prison in Chateaugay until that closed last year.

<snip>

"And then to be superintendent of Clinton Correctional is like a huge honor, and responsibility, for any Saranacer - and, frankly, for anyone in the Corrections Department. It's one of the biggest and one of the toughest. It's where they send the worst."

With that responsibility comes accountability. Rabideau said it must be "devastating" for Racette to be the man in charge during the first-ever breakout from Clinton's 150-year-old maximum-security wing. Still, he said he believes Racette will survive with his job intact."

Of course one of his close friends will believe Racette will survive with his job intact. Really is delusional if he also believes the Superintendent's sterling reputation is still intact. The guy let the inmates control the asylum. Quite Literally.

JMO

 

[Cricket99]

It sure seems silly to me to go to all that trouble and not have a better plan B like a complete Amish outfit including a horse and buggy, or a complete Jewish outfit with the costume and hat along with a bike or car and fake Id's etc so as to at least make a sufficient attempt to stay free, it just seems so pointless knowing what the end results would be without a good plan

I guess they planned on being so far away so fast that they wouldn't need a disguise. Seems ridiculous! Poor planning but they have not been able to watch all the news in years or even CSI, so they don't know about forensics, dna, security cameras, all that stuff.

 

[BUF]

Had Sweat made it to Quebec that would have been interesting as to how he would get around, communicate. He would have stuck out like a sore thumb not knowing the language. I cant speak to all of Quebec but the few places I have all did not speak any English and there was not one sign in English. Here in Ontario we take french from kindergarten until grade 9. Our signs (highways) have both English and French. Maybe the honor block taught french? LOL

Wow, a lot to catch up on after being gone for a while!!!

Bravo, I had also thought about the language barrier if they had gone into Quebec. I grew up in NY & Montreal, back & forth. We had to learn French. Way back I do remember signs in both English & French, but that changed to all French. There is no way to get around not knowing it & they would have definitely stood out! Even if people do know English, they will not always speak it.

As far as the paintings go, the painting that was posted that Sweat had done looked like it was on canvas board not a stretched canvas. I really doubt that they would have had the money to frame all of these anyways. As far as Palmer & the paintings, I think that maybe he had given them photos of hunting & fishing with his buddies showing these camps & maybe that's why he burned some of them. As far as the buried ones, who knows!

 

[Greater Than]

It was a history of hesitation and interagency conflict, and also of lucky breaks for law enforcement officers who scoured the woods as the inmates’ labyrinthine escape plot devolved into haphazard flight.

[...]

A week distinguished by DNA discoveries and well-organized sweeps was the final stage of a 23-day slog that was hampered, at times, by missed signals.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered a large cadre of non-state law enforcement personnel out of the command center as the manhunt got underway.

[...]

In the dawn hours of June 6, after Mr. Matt and Mr. Sweat’s cell beds were found to be holding dummies fashioned out of sweatshirts, investigators initially believed the inmates were stuck in the prison’s system of tunnels.

Only after they discovered an open manhole about 400 feet outside the prison did the police understand the killers had emerged from it, David Favro, the sheriff of Clinton County, said. Mr. Favro was informed of the open manhole at 8:30 a.m., three hours after the men were found missing, he said.

Much more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/n...rk-prison-escapees.html?smid=tw-nytmetro&_r=1

 

[Paulas88]

I thought Sweat was raised mostly in foster homes? Never mind, I found the link. Kids raised in the turmoil of dysfunctional homes where the parent spends her time drinking and partying are not going to turn out well.

David Sweat grew up in Deposit, N.Y., a speck of a town about 30 miles east of Binghamton, raised mainly by a single mother, Pamela Sweat. He had two sisters.

For a short time, Patricia Desmond and her boyfriend lived with them. “He really wasn’t raised into the best society,” Ms. Desmond said, referring to Mr. Sweat. “We drank a lot, we partied a lot. His life was into turmoil.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/n...ys-thieves-killers-and-now-escapees.html?_r=0

I agree with you. Children are products (99%) of their environment! if DS wasn't controlling himself at 9 years old, it was most likely because he was neglected as a toddler... the age when we teach our children personal boundaries. I would bet DS and his sibling were in and out of the foster home system due to the MOTHERS severe neglect. I feel angry when I see her and hear her deflect everything on her son... our prisons are filled with neglected, abused, abandoned and forgotten Men and Women with arrested development.... that go on and usually repeat the cycle. JMO

BTW DS has never received (from what I heard from interview with former
inmate of his) a visit from his Mother

 

[screecher]

"We've done away with wardens in this state, now we call them Superintendents" says CNN guest Jeff Dumas.

ETA - scratch what I just said before I deleted it - here's the super -
"New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (2nd L) tours the Clinton Correctional Facility with prison Superintendent Steven Racette (L), Acting Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci and Deputy Commissioner for Facility Operations Joseph..."

BBM

Chain of command

Commissioner Anthony Annucci and Deputy Commissioner Joseph D'Amico are the two top boss men over all the prisons in NYS. They were appointed by Gov Cuomo.

Each prison has a superintendent and a deputy superintendent and/or an 'acting' deputy superintendent.

Different regions of prisons are called 'hubs'. Each 'hub' has it's own supervising superintendent (who supervises every prison in that hub), appointed by Commissioner Annucci.

Each hub superintendent is supervised by Commissioner Anucci and Deputy Commissioner Joseph D'Amico, who in turn report to Gov Cuomo.

 

[concernedmother]

Can you imagine what Matt's paintings would go for now on ebay?

 

[screecher]

Of course one of his close friends will believe Racette will survive with his job intact. Really is delusional if he also believes the Superintendent's sterling reputation is still intact. The guy let the inmates control the asylum. Quite Literally.

JMO

BBM

"The guy", was actually wooed by Cuomo, Annucci and D'Amico for almost two years because of his stellar work record, dedication to his job and his rapport with the COs and everyone else who works/worked in the prisons.

Cuomo, Annucci and D'Amico wanted the previous superintendent out, precisely because he wasn't doing his job.

<modsnip>

 

[Traymar]

Why would Sweat have a lack of schooling? Our schools here in Broome County are fantastic. I was taught in sixth grade the writing skills that took me throughout middle and high school in advanced english placement and served me beautifully in college throughout both of my degrees, keeping me a teacher's aide and getting one of my degrees awarded to me for writing despite me not even trying for that particular degree initially.

Just because people are illiterate morons now who use text-shorthand and think it's okay does NOT mean we were all taught poorly JMO.

We KNOW he wrote it already anyway. The handwriting matches the Have a Nice Day note. I see nothing in that writing that indicates a graduate level of writing skill required, nor even a high school level. That is just plain normal communication for anyone who isn't lazy or dyslexic IMO. Hrumph!

Completely agree. I didn't find Sweat's letter particularly impressive, except in a not-as-bad-as-you-might-expect sort of way. The traditional and deliberate style is likely a function of his detail-oriented personality.

 

[human]

I agree with you. Children are products (99%) of their environment! if DS wasn't controlling himself at 9 years old, it was most likely because he was neglected as a toddler... the age when we teach our children personal boundaries. I would bet DS and his sibling were in and out of the foster home system due to the MOTHERS severe neglect. I feel angry when I see her and hear her deflect everything on her son... our prisons are filled with neglected, abused, abandoned and forgotten Men and Women with arrested development.... that go on and usually repeat the cycle. JMO

BTW DS has never received (from what I heard from interview with former
inmate of his) a visit from his Mother

:goodpost:

 

[faw720]

I think part of the problem I have understanding this situation is that the Texas Prison System (where I live) is much different than the system that is in place in New York. New York apparently apparently tries to have programs like the Honor System in place to reward prisoners for good behavior. If Texas has such a program, I am unaware of it. I have a dear friend whose adult daughter is an alcoholic. Aside from her alcoholic problem she is a wonderful person. In her 50 + years the daughter got her third DUI which is a felony offense in Texas & she went to the 'big house' for 2 years with 3 additional years probation. Conditions she described in the Texas prison were horrific. No a/c, no heating, whatever the weather is is what you get. She was allowed to purchase 1 sweater from the commissary, had only a sheet & only sometimes had 3 meals a day. At times the prison system experienced budget cuts & when that happened, she had only 2 meals a day. She & another prisoner survived by buying peanut butter & bread to supplement the meal they were missing. Lights were left on all night, noise & disturbances were almost constant. We could supply $$$ to her commissary a/c. We could never mail anything, even a book, without purchasing it through Barnes & Noble or another approved vendor. Stamps & writing materials were only available through the commissary. No food of any kind from outside was EVER allowed in. However, when my friend went to visit her daughter she did notice some visitors supplying their relative or friends with drugs.

 

[Thora_Jay]

Captured killer David Sweat gave cops a blow-by-blow of his escape and time on the run with fellow fugitive Richard Matt &#8212; revealing that their original plan was to flee to Mexico with the help of Shaw- prison worker Joyce &#8220;Tillie&#8221; Mitchell.

Sweat claimed the lovestruck sewing-shop supervisor, who is charged with smuggling tools to the convicted killers, was the only other person who knew of their elaborate breakout plan, sources said on Monday.

Sweat &#8212; who a source said was &#8220;spilling his guts&#8221; to investigators &#8212; said he and Matt planned to drive to Mexico in Mitchell&#8217;s car following their June 6 escape.

He said Matt, who had the words &#8220;Mexico Forever&#8221; tattooed on his back, came up with the idea of heading south of the border, boasting of connections he made while serving time for a fatal stabbing there, sources said.

&#8220;They would kill Mitchell&#8217;s husband and then get in the car and drive to Mexico on the theory that Mitchell was in love with one or both of them,&#8221; Gov. Cuomo said.

&#8220;Then they would go live happily ever after &#8212; which is a fairy tale that I wasn&#8217;t read as a child, but we will believe what we want to believe.&#8221;

When Mitchell got cold feet and failed to show up, however, the escapees had to improvise and decided to head to Canada.

Sweat, 35, told cops he and Matt, 49, broke into a series of hunting camps and cabins they used as hideouts and ransacked for weapons, food, clothing and other supplies, sources said.

The loot included a transistor radio they used to follow news accounts and avoid the manhunt that grew to involve more than 1,000 local, state and federal law-enforcement personnel.

They also found liquor and pot that Matt eagerly consumed, slowing their progress &#8212; which was already impeded because the older man suffered from sciatica and bloody blisters, sources said.

Sweat said he got fed up and decided to ditch Matt about five days before he was captured.

Sweat was carrying a compass, along with water, Pop-Tarts and a can of vienna sausages when he was shot twice in the torso and caught by State Police Sgt. Jay Cook a mile and a half from the border Sunday afternoon.

He&#8217;s being treated at the Albany Medical Center, where his condition was upgraded from critical to serious on Monday. He will be charged with escape and burglary, Clinton County DA Andrew Wylie said.

Matt was fatally shot three times in the head by a federal agent Friday when he refused to drop a stolen 20-gauge shotgun, according to authorities.

He had sardines with him when he was killed, sources said.

Sweat told cops that he and Matt had plotted their escape through underground steam tunnels for months, but didn&#8217;t put the plan into action until May, when the heat was turned off at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, sources said.

Sweat admitted doing most of the cutting and other heavy work because he was in better shape than Matt, sources said.

His confessions spanned several hours following his arrival at the Albany hospital, and authorities plan to continue questioning him, sources said.

A doctor at the hospital said Sweat was being treated on a &#8220;locked-down&#8221; floor, with dozens of cops and security guards standing watch.

&#8220;I heard he was only capable of mumbling and gurgling noises last night because he was under extremely heavy sedation. Now he&#8217;s spilling his guts to the police,&#8221; the physician said.

Broome County Sheriff David Harder told The Post Sweat picked up outdoor skills in his youth when he took part in a program intended to keep him from a life of crime.

&#8220;He had problems as a juvenile. They tried to save him,&#8221; Harder said. &#8220;So he took some kind of a class or training on how to survive in the wilderness.&#8221;

Law-enforcement sources said Sweat would not be sent back to the Dannemora lockup following his recovery, and would likely end up in Sing Sing, just north of New York City, or another maximum-security prison.

&#8220;His privileges will be extremely limited,&#8221; Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie told CNN. &#8220;He will be, you know, basically [under] 24/7 lockdown for the rest of his life.&#8221;

More here from the New York Post

 

[LadyL]

Wow, a lot to catch up on after being gone for a while!!!

Bravo, I had also thought about the language barrier if they had gone into Quebec. I grew up in NY & Montreal, back & forth. We had to learn French. Way back I do remember signs in both English & French, but that changed to all French. There is no way to get around not knowing it & they would have definitely stood out! Even if people do know English, they will not always speak it.

As far as the paintings go, the painting that was posted that Sweat had done looked like it was on canvas board not a stretched canvas. I really doubt that they would have had the money to frame all of these anyways. As far as Palmer & the paintings, I think that maybe he had given them photos of hunting & fishing with his buddies showing these camps & maybe that's why he burned some of them. As far as the buried ones, who knows!

I doubt he planned on staying in Quebec ... just hop on a bus to Ottawa - he'd be there in two hours.