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| Racket, Jacket Covered Ind. Jail Escape |
| By Indianapolis Star |
| Published: 04/24/2003 |
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Warned that a prisoner they were transporting was a high risk for escape, two Marion County sheriff's deputies cranked up the radio in the police van and allowed a jacket to block their view of the inmates. That allowed inmate David E. Corbin -- already convicted once for escaping from jail -- to break out as the van drove through afternoon rush-hour traffic Downtown last month. Corbin grabbed a gun from an off-duty officer and got off a few shots before he could be subdued. Now, the deputies are being suspended for three days each and the Sheriff's Department plans to change how it moves prisoners. Driver Rudolph Reyes, 35, and Jason Welch, 23, had been told by Wabash Valley Correctional Facility staff that Corbin was a high risk, according to a department investigation. The two $11.62-an-hour special deputies will be suspended for three days without pay at month's end, Sheriff's Department officials said April 15. The department also plans to improve security when moving prisoners. Precautions may include different-colored uniforms for high-risk inmates and more use of handcuffs. Corbin, 27, in prison for armed robbery, smuggled a handcuff key and a makeshift screwdriver into the van for the 99-mile ride to Indianapolis on March 18; both were wrapped in rubber and hidden in a body cavity. He managed to loosen his bonds and unscrew part of a window grate without attracting the attention of the deputies, thanks to the loud music and the jacket, which blocked Welch's view through a clear plastic divider separating the deputies from all five inmates in the van. Only when Corbin yanked off the grate -- triggering a warning light in the cab -- did the deputies realize they had a problem. 'Deputies need to know there's a penalty for lack of attention to detail,' said sheriff's Col. Kerry Forestal. It doesn't violate department policy for correctional workers, who often drive long distances to move prisoners, to listen to a radio -- as long as the volume is low. The breakout came as the van reached Maryland and South Meridian streets, just a few blocks from the jail. Corbin fought with off-duty Indianapolis Police Department Detective Randall Busic, took his gun and fired several shots before a bystander and Busic finally got Corbin into custody. Before the breakout, Sheriff Frank Anderson had decided to make inmate-transfer security a top priority by buying additional equipment such as leg irons, abdomen restraints and 56 lockboxes to cover prisoners' hands. Experts say those changes can help -- but not by themselves. 'Nothing will ever replace the well-trained and vigilant officer. It's the human eye and human mind watching for an escape,' said Walter Smith, a division chief with the Denver Sheriff's Department and a past president of the American Jail Association. 'The best technology and the best equipment can be beaten.' |
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