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Posted by: kwflatbed

Monday, December 17, 2007


ELIZABETH, N.J. — Two inmates escaped from a county jail, hiding the holes they made in the walls by putting up photos of bikini-clad women, officials said.
Authorities searched over the weekend for Jose Espinosa, who was awaiting sentencing for manslaughter, and Otis Blunt, who was facing robbery and other charges. They also launched a review of jail security.
The two got out of the Union County jail Saturday evening. The county prosecutor's office said the two apparently removed cement blocks from two walls, squeezed through the openings, jumped to a rooftop below and then made it over a 25-foot-high fence. The section they escaped from was supposed to be the most secure area of the facility.
"I'm extremely disturbed that a jail with the capability of security it has would foster a breach of this nature," County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Monday's editions.
Espinosa, 20, an alleged gang member, was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2005 drive-by shooting in Elizabeth. Blunt, 32, was awaiting trial on charges of robbery and weapons offenses.
The men helped cover up the break by placing dummies under their bed blankets, and hiding the wall holes with magazine photos of women in bikinis, authorities said.
Authorities launched a review of security measures, and barred inmates from pinning up pictures from magazines on their cell walls.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317100,00.html

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Posted by: JakeDodge

Wow, you think the shawwshank redemption would have taught them somethings.

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Posted by: anothernubie

Think they watched Shawshankjailbreak

Aol.com home page

Sexy Posters Used in N.J. Jailbreak

ELIZABETH, N.J. (Dec. 17) - Two jail inmates used photos of bikini-clad women to hide holes they used to escape and left behind a thank-you note, signed with a smiley face, for a guard they claimed helped them, officials said Monday.
Jose Espinosa, 20, and Otis Blunt, 32, squeezed through the openings sometime before dawn Saturday in a high-security unit of the Union County jail, jumped onto a rooftop below, and made it over a 25-foot-high fence topped with razor wire, authorities said.

Authorities withheld the name of the officer the inmates said was involved. The note, found in Espinosa's cell, read, "Thank you Officer ... for the tools needed. You're a real pal. Happy holidays."

Authorities are investigating the claims. The guard named in the note has not yet turned in a report, and disciplinary action has not been taken against any guard, said county prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said, whose office is overseeing the escape investigation.

Police were still searching Monday for the two men. Espinosa was awaiting sentencing for manslaughter in a drive-by shooting, and Blunt is facing robbery and other charges in the shooting of convenience store manager.

Meanwhile, authorities are reviewing security measures. They barred inmates from pinning up pictures from magazines on their cell walls.

The jailbreak is reminiscent of one in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" in which the main character, an inmate, uses posters of women, including of a bikini-clad Raquel Welch, to conceal an escape tunnel he had been digging.

Espinosa and Blunt used at least two improvised tools — a thick metal wire like those used to bind chain link fences to poles, and a 10-pound steel water shut-off wheel — to remove cinderblocks from the wall, Romankow said.

The thick wire was used to scrape away mortar around a cinderblock in the wall between their cells, and then around a cinderblock in an exterior wall in Espinosa's cell that faced busy rail tracks, Romankow said.

The shut-off wheel was used to crush the cinderblocks so they could be hidden in the cells, Romankow said. They also laid out pillows and sheets to make it look like men were sleeping under blankets, authorities said.

Once they landed on the railroad easement outside the fence, they ran in opposite directions, Romankow said. No blood was found.

The escape preparations appear to have been done relatively quickly. Each man was in his cell for only a few weeks, Romankow said. Investigators were trying to determine when the cells were last searched. It was the first escape since the jail opened in 1986.


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-12-17 17:37:37

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Posted by: Inspector

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) -- A Union County Jail guard who was named in a note left by two escapees has committed suicide, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Corrections Officer Rudolph Zurick was found dead at his home in Sayreville, Middlesex County, said the lawyer, Michael J. Mitzner. He said the officer was blameless in the breakout and faced no criminal charges.
Zurick, 40, was to be interviewed Wednesday by Union County Police for the first time since the daring Dec. 15 escape, Mitzner said.
Zurick had already submitted a report to the police and ``had been cooperative throughout'' the continuing investigation, Mitzner said.
Zurick's death was first reported on the Web site of The Star-Ledger of Newark.
Prisoners Otis Blunt and Jose Espinosa have been at large after burrowing through a cinderblock wall, jumping onto a roof and climbing over a 25-foot fence topped with barbed wire.
The inmates used photos of bikini-clad women to hide holes they used to escape and left behind a thank-you note for a guard they claimed helped them.
Authorities released the note last month, but obscured the officer's name. The note, signed with a smiley face, read, ``Thank You Officer ... for the tools needed. You're a real Pal! Happy Holidays.''
``Definitely sarcastic. There was no way he gave them any help,'' Mitzner said. ``He was the one who had noticed they were missing.''
``Everything I understand, he did nothing wrong,'' said the lawyer, who said he spoke to Zurick on Monday. ``It's hard to know what goes through someone's head,'' Mitzner said.

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Posted by: KozmoKramer

NJ jail guard in note commits suicide
New Jersey jail guard named in note left by 2 escaped inmates commits suicide
AP
Updated: 6:39 PM ET Jan 2, 2008
A guard who was named in a cheeky thank-you note left by two inmates when they chiseled their way out of their cells was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot Wednesday, the same day he was to be interviewed about the jailbreak, authorities said.
The body of Rudolph Zurick, 40, was found at his home in Middlesex County, said attorney Michael J. Mitzner. Zurick had not been charged in the Dec. 15 break from the Union County jail and had been cooperating with the investigation, Mitzner said.
"Everything I understand, he did nothing wrong," said Mitzner, who spoke to Zurick on Monday. "It's hard to know what goes through someone's head."
The death is being investigated, Union County prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said in a statement.
"This is not a time for speculation, but a time for mourning," he said.
Zurick was scheduled to be interviewed Wednesday about the daring break by inmates Otis Blunt, 32, and Jose Espinosa, 20. Both remained at large Wednesday.
The two used photos of bikini-clad women to hide holes they dug through the cinderblock walls of their adjoining cells in a high-security unit, authorities said. They jumped onto a lower roof, then made it over a 25-foot-high fence topped with razor wire.
The inmates left behind a thank-you note, signed with a smiley face, that named Zurick, thanking him for the tools they used _ a thick piece of wire and a 10-pound steel water shut-off wheel.
"You're a real pal! Happy Holidays," said the note, which also included a drawing of a hand with an upraised middle finger.
The note, Mitzner said, was "definitely sarcastic."
"There was no way he gave them any help. He was the one who had noticed they were missing."
Blunt was awaiting trial for robbery and weapons offenses. Espinosa was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2005 drive-by shooting.
Authorities are reviewing security measures and have barred inmates from putting pictures cut from magazines on their cell walls.

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/

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Posted by: kwflatbed

By The Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. — One of two inmates wanted in a daring jailbreak last month that echoed the plot of ''The Shawshank Redemption'' was captured in an apartment just six blocks from the jail, authorities said.

A team of federal and local law enforcement officers arrested Jose Espinosa without incident Tuesday night in Elizabeth, said James T. Plousis, U.S. marshal for New Jersey. Otis Blunt, with whom Plousis escaped Dec. 15, remained at large.

Espinosa, 20, was alone when arrested and had a leg injury suffered when he and Blunt made their escape, Plousis said. The two are believed to have jumped onto a roof, from which they leaped over a 25-foot-high fence topped with razor wire.

Authorities got a tip Tuesday to Espinosa's whereabouts, Plousis said, adding that he could not provide details. Espinosa was being questioned Tuesday night by Union County police, Plousis said.

Authorities have no reason to believe that Blunt had been with Espinosa, Plousis said.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said Monday that he had been contacted by people in touch with Blunt and was trying to arrange his surrender.

The Union County prosecutor's office said the two inmates used photos of bikini-clad women to hide holes they dug through the cinder-block walls of their adjoining cells in a high-security unit.

In ''The Shawshank Redemption,'' the main character uses posters of women to conceal the escape tunnel he is digging.

The inmates left a cheeky note thanking one of their guards, Rudolph Zurick, for helping them, although authorities have said there was no evidence that Zurick helped them.

The guard committed suicide Jan. 2, the day he was to speak to investigators about the escape. He was buried Monday.

Blunt, 32, was awaiting trial for robbery and weapons offenses at the time of the escape. Espinosa was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2005 drive-by shooting.

Changes were made at the jail in the aftermath of the escape, including the reassignment of its director, the removal of his top deputy and the ordering of a full-scale security review.

Wire service

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Posted by: kwflatbed

By The Associated Press

ELIZABETH, N.J. — The first of two inmates who staged a daring escape from a New Jersey jail was found in a basement apartment a mile away, but the second made it further, authorities say: He was found at a ''$10-a-night hotel'' in Mexico City.
Otis Blunt, awaiting trial for robbery and weapons offenses, was arrested by Mexican Federal Police on Wednesday, said U.S. Marshal James T. Plousis. He was unarmed and arrested without incident.

Blunt was expected back in New Jersey by Thursday. Since Blunt has been declared an undesirable in Mexico, there were no formal extradition proceedings expected, Plousis said.

Blunt was found at a ''$10-a-night hotel,'' Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said. Authorities plan to question him to find out how he got to Mexico and how long he was there.

On Tuesday, federal and local authorities captured Jose Espinosa in a basement apartment a mile from the jail in Elizabeth.

Also Tuesday, authorities revealed it took guards 20 hours to realize the inmates had escaped from the most fortified section of the jail.

Romankow said Blunt swiped a 10-pound steel valve wheel from a standpipe in an area that should have been locked, and that the inmates used it to bash the cinderblocks between their cells and on an exterior wall. They apparently flushed the debris down the toilet, authorities said.

The escape investigation has found no evidence that guards knowingly assisted the prisoners, Romankow said. ''At most we're looking at negligence by corrections officers,'' Romankow said.

The escape was discovered by Corrections Officer Rudolph Zurick, who found a sarcastic note left by the prisoners thanking him for his ''help.''

The guard committed suicide at his South Amboy home Jan. 2, the day he was to speak to investigators. Authorities repeatedly said they had no evidence that Zurick gave any aid.

When asked by reporters after his capture if he felt bad about Zurick's suicide, Espinosa reportedly responded: ''It wasn't my fault.''

Authorities have said the pair used photos of bikini-clad women to hide the holes they dug, a move out of ''The Shawshank Redemption.''

Guards first raised an alarm for Espinosa, 20, and Blunt, 32, about 5 p.m. on Dec. 15. The men had piled sheets under their blankets to make it appear they were sleeping.

Authorities believe the men escaped the night before by squeezing through the openings onto a third-floor rooftop, then leaping over a 25-foot-high fence topped with razor wire.

New security has been instituted since the breakout, the first since the jail opened in 1986. Head counts, for instance, are now taken with inmates standing.

Once free, the men fled in separate directions.

Espinosa, who sprained his ankle, walked north, hailed a cab at the nearby train station, and stayed in a motel before holing up in the apartment, Romankow said.

Authorities got a tip about Espinosa's whereabouts and he surrendered without incident. During his capture, a 19-year-old woman was charged with resisting arrest; it was unclear if she would face other charges.

Plousis said the Rev. Al Sharpton's visit this week to Mexico City indirectly helped in Blunt's arrest. Sharpton said he had been contacted by acquaintances of Blunt to try to arrange his surrender.

''There's no question Mr. Sharpton raised public involvement,'' Plousis said, adding that authorities had received several tips.

In a statement, Sharpton said, ''I wish I could have been on hand to assure Mr. Blunt's safety, but clearly his calling me to where he was helped lead to the conclusion that it did, and I hope that justice for all parties will be served.''

Wire Service

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Posted by: kwflatbed

Captured New Jersey Inmates Make Court Appearance


By JEFFREY GOLD
Associated Press Writer


ELIZABETH, N.J. --
Two inmates returned Friday to the scene of their daring Hollywood-style escape last month, which also led to the suicide of one of their guards.
Shackled and surrounded by officers, Jose Espinosa, an admitted killer, and Otis Blunt, a robbery suspect, made their first court appearances since their capture last week.
In a brief proceeding in a Union County Jail courtroom, a lawyer for Espinosa entered a not guilty plea to a charge of escape. Blunt said he has not been allowed to see his lawyer, and no plea was immediately entered for him.
Judge Joan Robinson Gross ordered each held on $4 million bail and set another court appearance for March 5.
When they disappeared the night of Dec. 14, Blunt, 32, was awaiting trial for robbery and weapons offenses, while Espinosa, 20, was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2005 drive-by shooting.
The pair bashed through cinder-block walls and used photos of bikini-clad women to hide the holes, a trick used by the main character in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption." The men had piled sheets under their blankets to make it appear they were sleeping, and guards did not notice the disappearance until late afternoon Dec. 15.
Espinosa was found in a basement apartment a mile from the jail on Jan. 8. Blunt was captured the next day in Mexico. To avoid possible reprisals in the Union County jail, they have been held since then at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.
Their breakout, the first since the jail opened in 1986, prompted a review of security procedures.
Although the inmates left a sarcastic note thanking a guard, Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow has said no guard knowingly aided in the escape. The guard named in the note, Rudolph Zurick, 40, committed suicide Jan. 2, the day he was to speak to investigators.
Outside the jail, Espinosa's lawyer, Marc D'Arienzo, said Espinosa was sorry about the guard's suicide.
"For whatever extent he contributed, he'd like to extend his heartfelt condolences," D'Arienzo said.
Espinosa and Blunt had planned to flee to Mexico together but Espinosa hurt his leg leaping to freedom, D'Arienzo said.
"I know this has a Hollywood ring to it, but this isn't Hollywood. This is reality," he said.
The breakout, the first since the jail opened in 1986, prompted a review of security procedures. Romankow has said Blunt swiped a 10-pound steel valve wheel from a standpipe in an area that should have been locked, and the inmates used it to bash through walls. They flushed the debris down the toilet.


Wire Service

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