Reports: Escaped Murderers Fled to Upstate New York Town
The New York Daily News reports that dozens of heavily-armed cops have swarmed Willsboro, New York, after authorities tracked big-dicked fugitive Richard Matt and his partner in crime David Sweat to the town, which is about 40 miles south of the correctional facility the two escaped from Friday night.
Law enforcement learned of the whereabouts of the wanted men about 2 a.m. Monday when a state trooper stopped a car in which they were riding as it drove on rain-slickened Middle Road near State Route 22, sources said.
“They ran into the woods,” a worried resident said in an email.
The pair then reportedly broke into a nearby house and “stole a gun,” the resident wrote.
A town resident told the Daily News that police have been in the area since late this morning and are checking all cars in and out of the town.
“This is a hard place to find someone,” Richard House said. “This is a very dense area. We are in the middle of the mountains. It’s easy to walk into Canada from here. I’ve done it by mistake.”
New York State police didn’t confirm the News’ report, though a spokeswoman told the paper that they’re “tracking a lead [in Willsboro].” CNN also reports that authorities are searching the area near Willsboro.
According to the New York Post, the convicts’s getaway driver failed to show up after their escape from Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, forcing them to flee the prison on foot. The tabloid, citing the Albany Times Union, says the duo could still be within 10 miles of the prison.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to investigate allegations that Joyce Mitchell, a training supervisor at the prison, may have helped the two escape. From the Post:
Cops on Saturday grilled Mitchell and rummaged through the trash at the home where she lives with her husband, Lyle Mitchell, a general manager of industrial training at the facility. The officers also inspected a small shack the couple owns nearby.