The search for the escaped convicts from Clinton Correctional Facility intensifies, when bloodhounds picked up a strong scent which suggests that the escapees are near by. A stretch of State Route 374 - nearly eight miles long - remains closed this morning, and residents can expect an increased police presence in the area, according to a police news release. In addition, Saranac Central School District is closed today, with Superintendent of Schools Johnathan Parks wanting to "get out law enforcement's way" as the search continues for David Sweat and Richard Matt, he told ABC News.
Helicopters buzzed through the area late Wednesday, scanning amid the fog. Searchlights and headlights were used to illuminate fields and farmland, while porch and garage lights shined from homes, all meant to aid the search efforts. There has been no confirmed physical sighting of either man, but authorities are hopeful that daylight will offer improved search opportunities.
David sweat, 34 years old, was convicted with life imprisonment with no chance of parole for the murder of a sheriff's Deputy way back in 2002. While Richard Matt, 48 years old, was sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment for the kidnapping, dismembering, and killing of his former boss back in 1997. The convicts were last seen inside the prison on Friday, June 5, 2015. Prison guards discovered the inmates beds inside the prison were stuffed with clothes to serve as decoys for the escaped convicts in an attempt to fool the guards doing their rounds.
Though there are still things which are unclear as to how long Sweat and Matt prepared their escape from prison, or what power tools they used, or how they were able to hide the holes that they made. While the escaped convicts remain on the loose. The police will continue to search for the two men, and will continue to protect citizens from the two escapees.
