Search for N.Y. Prison Escapees Shifts to Camp West of Prison
DANNEMORA, N.Y., June 22 (UPI) — The manhunt for the two convicted murderers who escaped more than two weeks ago continues a similar trend — as a previous tip led to no clues and the search has shifted once again.
The small town of Owls Head, N.Y., about 25 miles west of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, was flooded by police officers after a camp was apparently broken into and a person was seen running away.
The focus of the intense manhunt during the weekend was placed on the town of Friendship, N.Y., near the state’s border with Pennsylvania, but that search concluded late Sunday, shifting attention to Owls Head, where a command post was established and police arrived with ATVs.
Franklin County, where Owls Head is located, has a population of about 50,000.
Convicted murderers David Sweat, 34, and Richard Matt, 48, escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility June 6 by using power tools to cut through steel walls and pipes.
“We will continue to search this area until all leads have been exhausted,” Maj. Michael Cerretto of the New York State Police said Sunday afternoon. “As we have in other areas of the state, we will search under every rock, behind every tree and structure, until we are confident that that area is secure.”
Matt and Sweat were added to the U.S. Marshals Service’s “15 Most Wanted” fugitives list on Thursday.
“The agency’s 15 Most Wanted fugitive list is reserved for the worst of the worst,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton. “There is no question David Sweat and Richard Matt fall into this category. While their brazen prison escape has left the public on edge, it has only ignited our sheer determination to bring them back to justice. Together with our law enforcement partners, the Marshals will work tirelessly to ensure the threat they pose and their run from the law is short lived.”
