Joyce Mitchell Arrested: NY Prison Worker Arrested, Accused Of Assisting Two Convicted Murderers Escape
Joyce Mitchell has been arrested after police accused her of helping two convicted murderers escape from a New York prison. According to ABC News, authorities believe that the 51-year-old gave “material support” to Richard Matt and David Sweat, who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Reports indicate that Mitchell had talked to Matt and Sweat in the past, and her relationship with them had been looked into previously, but nothing ever came of the investigation due to lack of evidence.
“Mitchell was picked up sometime after 5 p.m. [Friday] by state troopers. She is set to be arraigned at Plattsburgh City Court and then will eventually be taken to the Clinton County jail. Clinton County Sheriff David Favro told ABC News he has been preparing all week for her arrival. Mitchell could face a maximum of 8 years in prison. On Friday, she was also suspended without pay from her job at Clinton Correctional Facility, the state department of correction said.”
Joyce Mitchell was arrested just days after Richard Matt and David Sweat broke out of prison using power tools to cut a hole in their prison cell, Shawshank Redemption style. The two men are still missing, but police hope that they are able to find them very soon.
“It’s day six. If they have not escaped the area or they have not availed themselves of shelter, got to assume they’re cold, wet, tired, and hungry. I would advise and remind the community and the residents that that makes these individuals even more dangerous and desperate,” said Major Charles Guess of the New York State police on Friday.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the prosecution claims that Mitchell had some kind of intimate relationship with one of the inmates, and that she was planning on running away with him to start a new life. She was supposedly supposed to pick the two men up, and drive them out of town, but prosecutors say that she backed out “at the last minute.”
While this could mean that Matt and Sweat haven’t gotten too far, there is some indication that the men have actually left the country. According to CNN, schools in the area have reopened, as the two men could be anywhere at this time.
“We don’t know if they are still in the immediate area or if they are in Mexico by now,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Since Joyce Mitchell was arrested, she has been cooperating with authorities more and more. It is unknown if she has had any contact with Matt and Sweat after they escaped.
[Photo via Twitter]
