New York too 'hot,' prisoners planned to flee to VT

DANNEMORA, N.Y. – Two killers who escaped from an upstate New York prison might have set out for Vermont after their weekend prison break, governors and police in both states say.

Vermont and New York law enforcement are making a "special effort" to secure the border between the states, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday afternoon outside the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y.

"This is no time to panic," said Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin during the hastily announced news conference at the prison. "It's a time to be sensible. If you see suspicious people, don't go near them, call law enforcement."

There was no direct indication the convicted murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, had made it to Vermont, but Shumlin outlined specific steps the authorities were taking to boost a search for the men in the Green Mountain State.

The Vermont State Police have sent a liaison to New York, are ready to respond to tips, are working to raise public awareness in remote areas such as campgrounds, have deployed marine units to Lake Champlain and are exchanging intelligence with New York, Shumlin said.

"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," Shumlin said of the escapees.

Law enforcement declined to say if they had a specific campsite in mind or knew where in Vermont the men might have been headed. Police also were unsure if the men remain together or have split up.

"We don't know that they've left the state or left the area," New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico said at the news conference.

Matt, 48, and Sweat, 34, are from western and central New York.

The murderers disappeared from the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora between 11:30 p.m. Friday and 5:30 a.m. Saturday. The prison holds about 3,000 inmates.

Cuomo said information was uncovered that the inmates would head to Vermont.

Cuomo called Shumlin on Wednesday morning with news of the murderers' possible destination.

The Vermont State Police have said the two convicted killers have no known ties to the Green Mountain State.

The police urged people not to approach killers. New York has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of both men — $50,000 for each one.

Col. Tom L'Esperance, director of the Vermont State Police, said his troopers have been checking Lake Champlain shorelines and campsites. He said the Marine Division also has been activated. Law-enforcement authorities will be passing out leaflets at private campgrounds and elsewhere.

New York authorities notified L'Esperance early Saturday morning about the escape. L'Esperance said he ordered troopers to the Lake Champlain Transportation Co. ferry docks in Charlotte and Grand Isle.

The police presence had lessened by Tuesday, however: Around midday, there no law enforcement was visible at the Charlotte dock. On the New York side, law enforcement searched cars and trucks this week before the vehicles boarded ferries. It was unclear, though, when the thorough sweeps began.

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.

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.

'We are on call'

A Vermont state police detective is assigned to the New York State Police command center, and the tactical team is on alert.

Lake Champlain splits Vermont and New York, but there are two bridges and two ferryboats operating now that could have been used to get to the Green Mountains. There were no known reports of any boat thefts.

Troopers have a "heightened vigilance on the shoreline," Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn said before the news conference.

More troopers are on call as necessary, the commissioner added.

"We want to make sure we can respond," he said. "Should there be a need, we are on call with fresh bodies."

L'Esperance said troopers are searching private camps and public campgrounds along the shore for any sign of Matt and Sweat. Police face a tall task: Lake Champlain forms more than 250 miles of shoreline along Vermont's western border.

The Grand Isle Sheriff's Department also has been on alert since Saturday morning as deputies provide primary law enforcement for the five towns in the Champlain Islands.

Matt and Sweat were reported missing from adjacent cells. Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for fatally shooting a Broome County sheriff's deputy 22 times in 2002. Matt was sentenced to 25 years to life for the kidnapping, dismemberment and murder of his former boss in 1997.

New York State Police will be able to come into Vermont to help trace leads or pursue the escapees, officials said.

Cuomo said the pair are dangerous and would not hesitate to kill again. He urged anyone who encounters Matt or Sweat to call police immediately.

"Trust me, these men are nothing to be trifled with," Cuomo said.

Curious residents of the quiet Adirondack town looked on as the governors addressed dozens of local and national journalists outside the prison.

The concrete walls of Clinton Correctional Facility abut residential neighborhoods in Dannemora. The prison has a 30-foot wall surrounding the facility, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border.

Vermont connection

Meanwhile, another Vermont link has emerged. The Burlington Free Press has determined the 23-year-old son of a prison worker suspected of aiding the killers is a member of the Vermont Air National Guard.

The prison worker, Joyce Mitchell, 51, has been questioned by police about the escape of the inmates, who worked in her sewing area, where she was a supervisor.

Tobey Mitchell is a senior airman with the 158th fighter wing, said Capt. Dyana Allen, an Air Guard spokeswoman. He is part of the maintenance group.

The Mitchell family is from Dickinson Center, N.Y., which is nearly an hour from Dannemora.

Allen was unable to say if Tobey Mitchell is scheduled for a deployment later this month to Japan as part of a mobilization of 150 guardsmen and 10 aircraft.

While avoiding use of Joyce Mitchell's name, Cuomo made reference to the female prison worker identified by news media as someone the police have questioned.

Cuomo has said there is strong belief the escapees received help. The men used power tools to escape by cutting the steel on the back wall of their cells and climbing through a labyrinth of tunnels. They eventually made their way to freedom through a pipe and a sewer manhole.

Officials have said they believe somebody was expected to pick them up, but the connection never happened.

The search had largely unfolded across New York until Wednesday's developments. Tuesday, the brunt of the manhunt was centered in Willsboro, a town next to the Lake Champlain ferry port in Essex, N.Y. A strong police presence was visible throughout the day in Essex and Willsboro. The Essex terminal offers regular service to Charlotte.

Contact Mike Donoghue at 660-1845, mdonoghue@freepressmedia.com and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FreepsMikeD. Contact Adam Silverman at 660-1854, asilverman@freepressmeda.com and www.twitter.com/wej12. Contact Zach Despart at 865-0940, zdespart@freepressmedia.com and www.twitter.com/zachdespart.