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| Sheriff: Inmate warned of imminent escape |
| By Reno Gazette-Journal |
| Published: 10/14/2002 |
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An inmate's warning to deputies of an imminent escape in August was not properly investigated, allowing a convicted robber to climb out a window, Washoe County Sheriff Dennis Balaam said last week. A thorough search of Milton Plummer's cell would have shown he had been sawing a window bar using a makeshift tool and a hacksaw blade that were slipped to him in court, Balaam said during a news conference at his office. Based on an investigation into the Aug. 2 escape, Balaam said he is suspending for five days two deputies and a sergeant assigned to the jail. A third deputy, who made some effort to follow up on the inmate's warning, will be suspended for two days. Also, department supervisors, including a lieutenant and the undersheriff, will receive letters of reprimand, Balaam said. Michael Langton, a lawyer representing the Washoe County Sheriff's Deputies Association, said the deputies followed correct procedure by reporting the note to supervisors. Langton questioned why the deputies, who work day shift, are being disciplined even though the escape occurred at night. 'All they did was get a note and pass it through the chain of command as required,' Langton said. 'If management didn't follow through, deputies should not be blamed.' Plummer is accused of climbing out the window of his cell about 2 a.m., the same day he was due in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to robbery and burglary. Plummer was captured five days later in San Leandro, Calif. A few days before the escape, an inmate in another cell handed a deputy a note warning that an inmate was trying to break out a window, Balaam said. 'Cell upstairs from 21 is trying to kick out window or ? while deputies are off desk time,' the note said. Rather than removing the inmates from the cell and searching it thoroughly, the deputy discussed the matter with another deputy, who gave the cell a cursory glance and concluded nothing was wrong, Balaam said. The note was passed to a third deputy, who had just a month's experience, with instructions to write a report. The rookie deputy spoke with other inmates, two of whom also reported unusual activity in Plummer's cell, Balaam said. The rookie sent his report to his sergeant. In a report to the next shift, the sergeant mentioned the inmate's note but said it had been investigated and no problems found. The sergeant assumed the deputies had searched the cell, Balaam said. The key to Plummer's escape was that he had been able to saw through a three-inch thick, concrete-filled window bar over several weeks, Balaam said. It is impossible for most adults to squeeze through the 5-3/4-inch space above or below the horizontal bar, Balaam said. The Sheriff's Office investigated the escape with the help of consultant Bob Glass and Associates. The Nevada Department of Investigation reviewed the probe, calling it complete and unbiased, Balaam said. |
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