Second prison worker arrested over US jail break
NEW YORK: A second prison worker was arrested and charged Wednesday over the escape of two convicted killers weeks ago from a maximum-security New York jail, with police warning they are likely armed and dangerous.
Richard Matt, 49, and David Sweat, 35, used power tools to cut their way out of their cells at the Clinton Correctional Facility before dawn on June 6 in a spectacular prison break likened to a Hollywood movie.
The escape sparked a huge manhunt with more than 1,000 agents backed by sniffer dogs and helicopters deployed to find the men, who have reportedly been spotted in several locations in recent days in upstate New York.
Corrections officer Gene Palmer, 57, was charged with promoting prison contraband, two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of official misconduct, Major Charles Guess of New York State Police said in a statement.
Palmer allegedly helped smuggle tools and other banned items hidden in hamburger meat, said Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie, according to ABC News.
Another prison worker, Joyce Mitchell, had already been charged with facilitating the escape by providing hacksaw blades and drill bits to the pair, again hidden in hamburger meat, Wylie told local media.
Palmer’s lawyer said while the corrections officer delivered the meat to the prisoners, he was not aware the packages were stuffed with contraband items.
“Mr Palmer did not know what was inside the package, he had no knowledge beforehand that there were any kind of tools inside,” Andrew Brockway told CNN.