Four escape from maximum security
He tried to join them in their bid for freedom, but Juan Ramirez, who was serving a life sentence for murder, broke his foot on the way out. His four companions as they say, “made good their escape” from Hattieville early this morning. Prison officials somehow couldn’t give News Five a total count of just how many prisoners are now missing. But if you add today’s four to the one from last week and one from the week before, that’s six men. But remember there was also an escape from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital recently and one from Hattieville as far back as December. That’s eight men-six of whom are considered dangerous-now hiding out somewhere in Belize. News Five was at the prison today to find out how this set made it out of max.
The prisoners at the Hattieville Correctional facility remain under lockdown with four of their fellow inmates now at large. The prisoners, all described as dangerous, were in cell number five located on the bottom floor of the maximum-security area. The daring escape took place around 5:30 this morning as it started raining heavy in the area. On the run is 22 year old Jason Flowers, who was serving a 10-year sentence for Dangerous Harm. 24 year old Andrew Kelly, who was serving 2 years for Contempt of Court and had also been remanded for murder. 24 year old Salva Carballo, who was remanded for Robbery and 19 year old Terry Reyes, who was serving a 20-year sentence for murder.
Jacqueline Woods
It is believed the prisoners used a piece of a hacksaw blade to cut at the chain that padlocked the cell door.
Despite the fact that there was an armed officer stationed in the watch tower directly facing the max area and other officers inside the building’s office below, the inmates manage to run undetected onto the compound and jump the fence on the western side of the compound. A few minutes after, officers sounded the alarm.
Sharon Bood, Principal Officer, DOC
“Our night patrol officers on their rounds, they found the cell door open and they are the ones that alerted the police. The superintendent, they are the ones that call the alarm and made us aware that these guys had escaped all of them that were in that specific cell.
At this point we have our officers out on a manhunt with the assistance of the police officers and there is an extended search around the Hattieville, Boom and Ladyville area. The whole western and northern areas are being covered.”
Sharon Bood, a Principal Officer at DOC said in spite of all the
security at the institution there will be occasional escapes.
Sharon Bood
“It is very hard to avoid an escape. The prison will always be having escapes. We try our best, we have the assistance of the KBH that is covering the perimeter fence outside of the prison with the canine dogs, but I think that working here, we come here for certain hours and we leave and go home, but these guys they live here. They have all the time to sit and decide and time us, so even if we have officers doing the rounds these people have the time to sit down and look at the way we work. So it is hard to avoid and we try very hard to avoid it.”
What also made the escape an easy one for the prisoners is the only fence that runs four miles around the compound.
Sharon Bood
“Well from the time I came to work here I have always been hearing that the prison they need two fence. There should be an inside and an outside and at present we have only one fence.”
Although prison officials tell News Five they do not believe any of the officers aided the inmates in their escape, all officers on duty at the time of the incident will be questioned. In the meantime the general public is asked to be on the their guard and to call the police or the Hattieville Prison if they have seen or know the whereabouts of the inmates.
If Salva Carballo’s name ring a bell, that is because this is the second time that he has attempted to escape within the last few weeks. He was in the group that escaped while being escorted to the Magistrate Court on the 17th of February. He was recaptured the following day.
