Authorities: Fugitives from Hays State Prison remain in Chattooga

Two fugitives who escaped from a high security prison in Chattooga County were still at large late Wednesday but are believed to be in a containment area near the facility, corrections officials said.

[DAWGFAN]

I think that the GDOC employees as well as the local and state officials are doing an outstanding job at keeping the community safe. These people are working endless hours to search for the two fugitives and I have no doubt that they will be successful in apprending the two. Georgia Dept. of Corrections has a commendable record in apprehending fugitives and I personally want to say, "thank you" to each and every person participating in this search.

[Otay]

Yes. The GDOC employees, not administration, deserves a big round of applause for going the extra mile this week. Some are working 18-hour shifts. The sheriff and GSP guys are also doing a great job. Well, the Hays administration etc. . .no comment on their job performance.

[wifey 1]

having worked at hayes for several years,i found that most of the officers were what a be jokes! good luck!

[preecher]

I worked at Hays State Prison for 7 years-
I dont understand how an escape over the fence could happen, especially in daylight.
The fence itself has a perimeter security system installed and is checked each shift--if someone grabs or trys to climb the fence it sets an alarm in central control showing the section/area the problem is, there is a perimeter patrol which is an officer who continually drives around the perimeter fence 24/7, and there are 5 observation towers located so that every part of the fence can be observed.

I am curious now if the state has cut back funding so that maybe the perimeter patrol wasnt manned? did they have some towers unmanned?(which by the way they had an escape in the past with an unmanned tower)

For the type of escape that happened to be successful there were security post(s) not manned ,the fence security wasnt in working order or 2-3 people just plainly werent doing their job.

[Richard]

We live about 100 yards from the Hays prison. We have not seen the first Law Enforcement Officer in or around our area.

[Viglad]

We live in the hall's valley area and quite honestly it would be so easy for anyone to leave the area without being detected. The road blocks are a joke. I have driven right by them a few times without them checking anything. We are volunteers at Hays, and as for the towers, they are not all manned. I do, however commend the local and state officials for all their hard work. I think they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. They have a tough job.

[DAWGFAN]

In regards to Wifey1's comment about the guards. I think that you should be ashamed to put all of the officers in the same category. Hays has some very good staff as well. As with any job you cannot always have every employee be top notch. Considering the wages offered and the type of job required it is very difficult to get excellent staff 100% of the time.

Regarding the Preecher's comment if you notice GDC has suspended 3 employees. I think we can all figure out what happened there.

[wifey 1]

dawgfan you are right.and i pray for everyones safety during the hunt

[Otay]

Although the prison system claims state wide budget cuts were not responsible for the escape, I differ on that opinion.

Two guard towers are unmanned = cuts
Canine Units cut down to one =cuts
Lack of staff = cuts and lack of competitive pay
Two perimeter patrols reduced to one = cuts

I don't see DOC commissioner Donald's reasoning that cuts didn't aide in the prisoners' escape.

[Alabamadawgfan]

Have there been anymore sightings.

[KAYLA]

It was an inside job!!! Its all a joke!!!

[KAYLA]

they never have been sightings they just want to see action!!

[concerned]

preecher wrote:

I worked at Hays State Prison for 7 years-
I dont understand how an escape over the fence could happen, especially in daylight.
The fence itself has a perimeter security system installed and is checked each shift--if someone grabs or trys to climb the fence it sets an alarm in central control showing the section/area the problem is, there is a perimeter patrol which is an officer who continually drives around the perimeter fence 24/7, and there are 5 observation towers located so that every part of the fence can be observed.
I am curious now if the state has cut back funding so that maybe the perimeter patrol wasnt manned? did they have some towers unmanned?(which by the way they had an escape in the past with an unmanned tower)
For the type of escape that happened to be successful there were security post(s) not manned ,the fence security wasnt in working order or 2-3 people just plainly werent doing their job.

How do people like this get moved to a lower security system after prior escapes ?????

[concerned]

how do people like this get mover to a lower security system after prior escapes ???

[GLASS HOUSE]

Now Preecher-surely we would not be first in line to cast a stone...far be it we start a column on preechers(Preachers) who lost their way...

As far as why it happened-I believe DAWGFAN probably has it figured out. Three employees are sitting at their houses suspended from the work place. 1 + 1 = 2 or in this case 2 missing convicts...

[blackmon]

maybe using my name here is a bad idea but how in the world does the commissioner justify suspending warden herndon? I worked at Hays for five years and that was at a time when the prison was relatively staffed. Herndon is running that prison a minimum of 25 officers short. The back 3 towers havent been used in months due to a lack of staff to fill them. If those convicts hit the fence during the middle of a count then every officer inside the compound was likely sitting in a control room doing paperwork. It is almost unbelievable that these guys managed a fence jump, a 50 yard dash to another fence jump, a drop to another fence, then a 300 yard run to the river without being spotted. Who in the hell was in the perimeter vehicle? These convicts possibly had inside help because rumors abound that they have a cell phone with them but thats highly speculative. The last time Johnny Brown escaped from a correctional facility in this state they found him 3 weeks later in Daytona Beach. He's not a real genius which means he may still be in Chattooga County but I doubt it. If he has a phone then he's got help on the way guys. Regardless, I'm just posting my support for Dale Herndon and his staff. I worked two escapes at Hays 5 years ago under a different warden. I don't recall his getting suspended and he had a full staff. The commissioner is playing politics here and trying to please a handful of his cronies who don't like or support Dale Herndon. The system isnt perfect, it is certainly flawed, but how in the hell are you supposed to run that madhouse with a shortened staff. Hey commish, you weren't qualified for this job anyway, military experience doesnt deem you qualified to understand the system. Herndon has 30 years of experience with the DOC. Lift your suspension and let a man that has experience get out there and help find these convicts with the help of the man that should have had your job, Rick Jacobs.

[iknow]

preecher wrote:

I worked at Hays State Prison for 7 years-
I dont understand how an escape over the fence could happen, especially in daylight.
The fence itself has a perimeter security system installed and is checked each shift--if someone grabs or trys to climb the fence it sets an alarm in central control showing the section/area the problem is, there is a perimeter patrol which is an officer who continually drives around the perimeter fence 24/7, and there are 5 observation towers located so that every part of the fence can be observed.
I am curious now if the state has cut back funding so that maybe the perimeter patrol wasnt manned? did they have some towers unmanned?(which by the way they had an escape in the past with an unmanned tower)
For the type of escape that happened to be successful there were security post(s) not manned ,the fence security wasnt in working order or 2-3 people just plainly werent doing their job.

If the towers were all manned/womaned there would be no escape possibility. The inmates KNOW the towers are not manned. Still I am astonished that a person could go over 7 rows of razor wire and not bleed to death before they hit the woods. We'll find them! Hope the commissioner sees how short-handed we are and the clear results of remaining short of staff.

[ben]

I have been told that the c/o was told by an inmate that there was a prison break going on, and "She" told him to go away and leave her alone. Also the 2 patrol cars circling theprison had been cut to just 1 car, due to new wardens orders. Also the back two tower were not manned, and that when the fence alarm did go off...it was cut off by an officer without even checking it out.....Sounds like every one was to complacent in their jobs and was just thinking "it won't happen here"

Richard wrote:

We live about 100 yards from the Hays prison. We have not seen the first Law Enforcement Officer in or around our area.

[concerned citizen]

The GDC commissioner knows that he is short staffed. However money is SHORT to fund the staff that is needed. One might suggest cutting back on other programs (Drug Treatment Programs) etc. before cutting back on security positions in prisons. DOC should first make sure that the public is safe as well as their staff before funding these other programs. I believe we do need drug treatment programs but we must first insure the safety of the public from prisoners who have proven they are dangerous.

[concerned citizen]

concerned wrote:

how do people like this get mover to a lower security system after prior escapes ???

Hays is NOT A LOWER SECURITY PRISON by no means.