Danelo Cavalcante search: Video shows escape from Chester County Prison
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (CBS) -- Officials released the video of convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante escaping from Chester County Prison on Wednesday.
The video shows Cavalcante using his legs and arms to push himself up a prison yard wall to escape. Once on a roof, officials say Cavalcante came upon additional layers of razor wire.
Officials gave updates on day seven manhunt of the search for the inmate. The reward leading to his capture has doubled to $20,000 after Pennsylvania Crimestoppers kicked in $10,000, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said in a news conference Wednesday.
Chester County Prison Active Warden Howard Holland gave a timeline of how Cavalcante was able to escape.
During the press conference, Holland says Cavalcante's escape is similar to the escape of Igor Bolte on May 19.
An acting warden of the prison who says he was on the job for mere hours when the escape happened said additional razor wire had been installed after the first escape in the spring.
He conceded it clearly wasn't effective in preventing Cavalcante's escape.
"This escape was similar to the methodology of the escape by Cavalcante and the escape by Igor Bolte allowed the prison to identify a deficiency in the exterior exercise yard where the escape occurred," Holland said. "This is also the same area, the escape yard, where Cavalcante was located prior to his escape."
According to officials at the press conference, this is the timeline of the escape:
- 8:33 a.m.: Cavalcante's block enters the exercise yard.
- 8:51 a.m.: Cavalcante escapes the prison by crab walking up the tower wall, pushing through the razor wire, runs across the roof, scale another fence, and pushes through more razor wires.
- 9:35 a.m.: Cavalcante's unit returned to the unit from the yard.
- 9:48 a.m.: Officers inform central control that Cavalcante wasn't there.
- 9:50 a.m.: Prison lockdown and there was a special count.
- 10:01 a.m.: Public escape siren sounds.
While the escape of Bolte and Cavalcante were similar, Holland said the clear difference was the role of the tower officer.
"One key difference in the escape by Igor Bolte compared with the escape with Cavalcante is the role of the tower officer whose primary responsibility is to oversee the inmates in the exercise yard. In Bolte's escape, the tower office observed the subject leaving the yard area and contacted control immediately," Holland said. "That is why Bolte was apprehended within five minutes. In the escape of Cavalcante, the officer did not observe nor report the escape. The escape was discovered as part of an inmate counts that occurs when inmates come from the exercise yard."
Officials confirmed a corrections officer failed to notice the inmate escaping from the yard. That employee is now on administrative leave.
"According to the document, we did have a consulting firm come out and identify how the individual escaped and we thought we took appropriate measures to prevent that with the razor wire," Holland said. "The one thing we didn't take into account was a failure on the human element side. We only focus on the physical infrastructure and not necessarily the human element."
The prison escape and all the elements that led to it are now under investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.
Meanwhile, a manhunt driven by hundreds of officers drags on in southern Chester County.
A confirmed sighting of Cavalcante happened Tuesday night on Chandler Road in Pennsbury Township. The sighting triggered an expansion of the police perimeter.
Bivens said a resident in the area observed him near a creek bed by their property and called police and mentions Cavalcante was already traveling in the woods.
"We continue to use hundreds of state, local, and federal law enforcement officers. Canines, aviation assets, and various types of technology in an effort to keep the community safe and to bring this to a swift conclusion as possible," Bivens said.
Two Pennsylvania school districts are closed again as the search continues. Longwood Gardens will reopen on Thursday after a temporary closing.
Police say they are confident they are wearing him down and will remain in the area for weeks or months for as long as it takes, according to Bivens.
"As one of the law enforcement officers out there, it's hard enough for them navigating in this hot, humid weather," Bivens said. "But imagine if you're being hunted, it has a whole different level of stress."
"We continue to ask for the public's help by familiarizing themselves with the photograph and description of Cavalcante. To check security cameras they have and to call us immediately if they believe they have seen Cavalcante. It is important that we keep pressure on him as we continue the hunt," he added.
"Our main focus is bringing this man into custody," Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said.
Prison officials say security is being reviewed at the prison.
