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| Inmate Who Used Prison ID to Check Into Hotel Hangs Self |
| By The Patriot-News |
| Published: 07/11/2003 |
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A Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, halfway house inmate who walked off and checked into a city motel using his prisoner ID has hanged himself in prison, officials said. Shane E. Betts, 29, was found unresponsive in his cell around 10 a.m. Tuesday at the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill in Lower Allen Twp., officials said. Cumberland County Coroner Michael L. Norris yesterday said Betts hanged himself. Norris would not elaborate. Prison spokesman Ian W. Taggart said the manner in which Betts hanged himself remains under investigation by prison staff and state police. Betts was placed in the prison Sunday night after state police caught him at the Comfort Inn in the 500 block of South Front Street. Betts had used his Department of Corrections identification card to register at the motel, which requires ID for lodgers who are paying cash for their rooms. Troopers said the motel clerk recognized Betts' name from media reports about his escape and called state police. Betts, who was from the Williamsport area, had been an inmate since May at the Harrisburg Community Corrections Center, a state-run halfway house in the first block of North Cameron Street, officials said. State police at Harrisburg said Betts walked away from the facility between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. on July 4 and was declared an escapee. At the time of his arrest, police said an unidentified woman was in his motel room. Betts, she said, had gone out to get beer. Troopers took Betts into custody when he returned. Betts was serving a 2- to 7-year sentence on a burglary conviction from Union County. Will Koonse, general manager of the hotel, said it isn't uncommon for recently released prison inmates to use their prison IDs to check in. 'Many times when they're released, that's all they have,' Koonse said. |
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