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| Escapes Not Part of Trend, Penn. County Official Insists |
| By The Express-Times |
| Published: 03/18/2003 |
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Despite three escapes from Northampton County Prison in the past five months, officials said recently there's no cause for alarm. Prison Director H. James Smith said officials took steps after the first two escapes to see that other inmates wouldn't use similar means to escape. The prisoner who escaped Friday, Andrew Paschal, was given permission to go outside the prison to take out the trash. Paschal's escape was more of a product of Paschal's poor judgment than of a lack of security at the prison, Smith said. Although the escapes coincide with an overcrowding problem at the prison, Smith doesn't see the escapes as a trend. 'We have the situation under control,' Smith said. Inmate Diosdado 'Dave' Davila-Torres of Easton was the first to run. He escaped from the building Sept. 13 by jumping over a razor-wire-topped wall surrounding an outdoor recreation area, witnesses said. Smith said the prison corrected the problem by putting more razor wire on top of the wall. Davila-Torres was captured Oct. 24. Authorities said he had been awaiting a court hearing on charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, theft and receiving stolen property when he broke from prison. The other two escapees have yet to be captured. Awilda Rosado walked out of the work-release facility Oct. 14. She was not granted work release, but was housed in the facility due to lack of space in the regular prison, county officials said. Rosado, whose last known address was in Bethlehem, was serving nine to 23 months for possession with intent to deliver heroin, prison officials said. Smith said the county corrected the problem by suspending the officer who walked away from her post for 30 seconds, allowing Rosado to leave. The latest escapee, Andrew Paschal, was taking out the prison garbage when he fled Friday. Smith said Paschal was taken off work release because of a non-criminal problem at his job. Because he had no job outside prison, the prison put him on kitchen duty for 30 days. Even though he was not on work release, the prison gave him the same freedom to walk outside the prison that is given to regular work-release inmates. Warden Todd Buskirk gave a slightly different account of Paschal's status. Buskirk said Paschal was still a participant of the work-release program when he fled, although his privilege of going to an outside job had been suspended. Buskirk said the prison calls Paschal's program 'community corrections.' Buskirk said inmates in the community corrections program can still enjoy the privilege of leaving the prison for classes or community service or in-house duties even though their employment privileges are suspended. Either way, Smith and Buskirk agree Paschal took advantage of his freedom by walking away from the prison. 'It's a privilege to get on (work release) and most do exactly what they're told,' Smith said. 'You're always going to have (escapees), no matter what.' Paschal, 18, of the first block of South 12th Street, Easton, was with two men who beat and pistol-whipped a minor and took $100 from him, according to court documents. Paschal was serving a 14- to 28-month sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery stemming from that incident. County sheriffs believe Paschal is a member of the Easton gang 'Cash Money Boys.' Smith said most of the serious charges against Paschal had been dropped during his plea agreement. Although Paschal witnessed the violent act, he did not admit to striking anyone, records say. Smith doesn't see Paschal as a serious offender and noted that Paschal was granted immediate work release when he was sentenced. When he was asked recently to comment on the trend of escapes, County Director of Administration James Hickey referred questions to Smith. After Rosado escaped in October, Hickey blamed her escape on overcrowding. Hickey said then that the prison breaks illustrate the urgent need for a larger facility. 'The simple fact is that you have to put more people in work release when your prison is overcrowded,' Hickey said in October. |
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