LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A convicted quadruple killer
escaped from a Michigan prison for 24 hours last month primarily because
guards didn’t properly operate the motion-detector alarms at a gate the
inmate pried open with scissors and a belt buckle, investigators
concluded Thursday.
A control center officer failed to reset two
alarms for 5½ hours after they were tested, and a supervisor who noticed
the problem left when her shift was over without notifying others to
check the gate, according to a report by the state Corrections
Department’s internal affairs division.
If the alarms had been
properly reactivated, the investigation found, Michael Elliot could have
been detected in the vicinity of a vehicle gate during his nearly
three-hour escape Feb. 2. Investigators deemed it a "critical error"
that played a "major role."
Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said
the motion detectors previously have been tripped by birds and
squirrels, possibly leading guards to sometimes ignore the alarms,
although in this case, the alarms weren’t properly set.
The review
also determined an alarm sensor in another area of the Ionia
Correctional Facility was misaligned and pointing too high, allowing
Elliot — who dressed entirely in white to blend with snow — to crawl
underneath an invisible detection beam without being noticed. Informal
prisoner accounts also weren’t done during the afternoon shift.
The
40-year-old serving life without parole was caught 24 hours later in
Indiana, but not before he allegedly took a woman hostage.
"Security
equipment is only as good as the individuals using it," Marlan said.
"To test it and not reset it for hours and hours made it virtually
useless that day."
Two officers have been suspended over the
escape, which also is being reviewed by the state attorney general at
the request of Gov. Rick Snyder and by the Legislature’s corrections
ombudsman.
Elliot, who was classified as a lower security risk,
chose Super Bowl Sunday because he thought staff at the prison about 30
miles east of Grand Rapids might be distracted, according to the report.
But investigators found no evidence the game was a factor. They also
uncovered no evidence that Elliot had help from inmates or staff.
Marlan said the suspended employees may have been complacent or incompetent.
The
Associated Press called one of the suspended workers, Lt. Shundra
Cheeks, for comment, but her voicemail was full. A message seeking
comment was also left for the union representing corrections officers.
Elliot,
who is fighting extradition to Michigan, told investigators another
prisoner pointed out that the sally port letting vehicles in and out was
a weak spot in security. Elliot said he began devising an escape plan
months ago and took it more seriously when he realized piled-up snow
could be used as cover.
Authorities say this is the account he gave to investigators:
He
skipped chow around 4 p.m. and put civilian clothes underneath white
thermal underwear, which he covered with the standard blue prison
uniform, the report said. He went to the yard and, when a guard turned
his back, hid behind a building while shedding his uniform.
Elliot by that point was wearing white thermals, white shoes and a white mask.
He
used a hook from the locker in his "housing unit cubicle" to clear snow
under a fence and crawl under. When he reached the vehicle gate, Elliot
stopped and lay still when a perimeter patrol vehicle came nearby a few
times, as close as 20 feet to the outside gate.
He used hobby
craft scissors and his belt to open the chain link fencing. Once he was
out, just before 7 p.m., he moved down a road and took a hammer, box
cutter and roll of Duct Tape from an open garage.
Officials say
after the escape, Elliot stole a Jeep in Ionia with a woman inside. She
got free when they stopped for gas in Elkhart County, Ind., more than
100 miles away from the prison.
Elliot was captured in another stolen vehicle in LaPorte County on Feb. 3.
Corrections
Director Dan Heyns claimed ultimate responsibility for the escape and
denied budget cuts played a role. Democratic lawmakers, though, said
they want to review the agency’s report and see if the legislative
ombudsman reaches a similar conclusion.
"In either case, we
believe there must be a discussion on how budget cuts and perimeter
staffing levels impacts the safety of the people of Michigan," said Rep.
Andrew Kandrevas, D-Southgate, who sits on the House prisons budget
subcommittee.
Elliot was serving time for the fatal shootings of
four people 1993, when he was 20 years old. He and his accomplices were
trying to steal money from a drug dealer, police said.
Elliot claims to be innocent of the killings, and a co-defendant says he pulled the trigger and Elliot
played no part.
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Online:
Investigative review of escape: http://1.usa.gov/1cedLnY
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