Roy Santa Croce
June 11, 2025
(ABC22/FOX44) – The manhunt in Dannemora was a decade ago, and the New York State Inspector General, Lucy Lang brought together the former state police superintendent, the former state corrections commissioner, and a reporter with NewsDay in the same room for the first time since the incident.
On June 6th, 2015, two inmates escaped from the maximum-security Clinton prison in Dannemora, New York.
At its peak, over 13,000 law enforcement officers were searching for the escapees, Richard Matt and David Sweat.
Republicans keep winning streak alive at Congressional baseball game
The inspector general at the time of the prison break, Catherine Leahy-Scott released a 150-page report about how they escaped.
She says it was only possible because the prison’s administration was getting groomed and manipulated by prisoners.
Leahy-Scott says, “what was astonishing was the longstanding complacency exercised in lieu of security, and that those involved forgot that they were in charge of a maximum-security corrections facility.”
Multiple correction officers and administrators at the prison smuggled in tools for the two to escape.
They cut through a steel pipe with a hacksaw and crawled out of a manhole a few blocks from the prison.
After being caught, in an interview, Sweat admitted to spending almost three months outside of his cell preparing their escape route without being caught.
Former NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Anthony Annucci says, “DOCCS security policies are fine, that’s not the problem. the problem was staff; not carrying out the policies that they were supposed to carry out.”
COs are responsible for conducting nightly head counts and the IG’s report highlighted that officers didn’t notice him out of his cell on over 400 occasions.
The panel agreed that the number one cause for their escape, was complacency.
NewsDay reporter Keshia Clukey says, “oh, if I don’t go through the security check, it doesn’t matter because it’s so secure. all of these little things added up and i think just that feeling that it can’t happen here, well it can, and it did, and it cost millions of dollars to the state.”
Since the IG’s report state prisons have cracked down on enforcing daily head counts and cell inspections.
Matt was shot and killed after being found in Malone, New York while Sweat was shot, apprehended and is serving life in prison.
LINK TO VIDEO
