A 51-year-old prison employee who is suspected of having a relationship with an inmate reportedly confessed to smuggling power tools into the maximum-security facility to help two convicts escape.
Joyce Mitchell was allegedly supposed to be the duo's getaway driver after they broke out of Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, but she apparently backed out at the last minute and checked herself into a hospital for "nerves."
The Times Union in Albany reports that Mitchell confessed her role in the scheme to the state police. She reportedly told authorities that she smuggled power tools into the prison and gave the inmates access to a cellphone.
The inmates then apparently used the power tools to cut holes through a steel wall in their cells and pipes in the bowels of the prison to escape.
Clinton County district attorney Andrew Wylie confirmed to CNN on Friday that Mitchell "provided some form of equipment or tools" to the two men, Richard Matt and David Sweat.
CNN cited unnamed sources saying a prison employee gave Matt and Sweat hacksaw blades, drill bits and eyeglasses with lights affixed to them.
Authorities are still searching for the two convicts, 48-year-old Matt and 34-year-old Sweat. They were both serving time for murder.
Earlier this week, the FBI told the Times Union that authorities thought the escapees were within a 5- to 10-mile radius of the prison. They most likely had to escape on foot after the getaway plan with Mitchell fell through.
Mitchell worked as an industrial-training supervisor in the tailor shop of the prison and is thought to have developed a relationship with Matt. He reportedly spent months wooing her to get her to participate in his escape plot. Senior government officials told NBC News that Mitchell "thought it was love" with Matt.
State corrections officials investigated Mitchell's relationship with Matt after a coworker filed a complaint, but they reportedly did not find enough evidence to take action against Mitchell.
Matt was most likely able to interact with Mitchell because he was being held on the "honor block" of the prison for good behavior and was allowed to spend most of his time outside his cell.
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