Jurors in the Coroner’s Court yesterday heard that prison inmates had notes laying out their escape plan in January, another two death row inmates were involved in the deadly plot, and marijuana was found on the prisoner killed during the melee.
They also heard that a shortage of staff and a breakdown in command may have aided in the escape of four inmates from Her Majesty’s Prison.
Prison Inspector Gregory Rolle, who testified, was one of two principal officers assigned to work the Maximum Security section between 10pm and 6am on Monday, January 16, the day four inmates mounted an escape from the prison which led to one of them being killed along with a prison officer.
He told the court that around 1am, he conducted a check of the area to determine if officers were in their assigned positions, and carried out an official check at 3:30am.
He said on that occasion Sergeant Sands accompanied him.
“We took a flashlight to verify if persons (inmates) were there (in their cells) and if they were alive,” Inspector Rolle testified. “We would move the curtains from the cells and check.”
He however admitted that lighting minimized the chances of recognizing anything out of place.
Inspector Rolle further testified that at that point, Sergeant Sands, the officer in charge of the western group (cells C, D, I, J), was instructed to check his area, but was later found in the Principal Office around 4:10am.
“Sands said (Duty Sergeant Herman) Major had to go and that I had given him permission to leave, but I said Major was not supposed to leave before the police arrived around 5am to take the prisoners,” Inspector Rolle testified.
“-He did not carry out instructions-Sands also should have asked me if it was okay to leave his block.”
According to Inspector Rolle, Sergeant Major had initially asked to see a doctor, as he was not feeling well.
This left the prison with two men down – Sergeant Major and Corporal Dennis Johnson, who had also reportedly complained that he was not feeling well, only hours before Barry Parcoi, Forrester Bowe, Corey Hepburn and Neil Brown executed their escape during the wee hours of January 17.
When questioned by Coroner Linda Virgill, Inspector Rolle admitted that this situation “undermined the west to some degree” in terms of staffing.
The inspector also said that after leaving the Principal Office, he headed upstairs to take his medication when he heard voices “at a high pitch that are normally not heard.”
“I heard footsteps about 50 feet above me. I went to the P.O. Sands was exiting the office to go to the western wing and McKinney was making tea. I told him to hold the office,” the witness said.
“I went to the gun safe, got a .38 gauge firearm with six rounds of ammunition and told the officer at the gate to let me out right away, as quickly as possible.”
The court also heard that as the Inspector exited the gate, he heard what sounded like shots coming from the western point, followed by the prison’s sirens, which went off around 4:20am
“When I reached that point, Officer (Theodore) Mott said he saw three men jumping the fence and that he felt certain that he had hit one,” the Inspector testified.
“-I was blocked from getting over the high fence, so I turned over my firearm to Officer (Raoul) Sergeant. He was off duty, but lived in the prison’s bachelor’s quarters and was nearby the gate and so could render assistance.”
According to the witness, only a few officers were armed with weapons early that morning.
He said officers could only be distributed weapons from the Armory, if they receive permission.
Teary-eyed, Inspector Rolle said when he eventually returned to Maximum Security, he was told that Corporal (Dion) Bowles, who had been assigned to work the west wing along with about four other officers, may have been killed.
Also taking the stand Wednesday was Detective Constable Basil Evans and Police Constable Anastacia Russell.
Detective Evans recalled removing a number of notes from Hepburn, Brown, Bowe and Parcoi’s cells after the breakout. He told the court that once pieced together, the information all pertained to the escape.
According to Evans, on a torn note found in Parcoi’s cell, there were the words: “Papa, we need to deal with this. Two up, two down.”
During her testimony, Officer Russell said that when she and another officer arrived at Yamacraw Hill Road early Tuesday, officers were still struggling with the prisoners, particularly Parcoi.
She said police officers retrieved a makeshift ice pick from Parcoi, a white and brown pocketknife from Brown and an envelope with suspected bloodstains from Bowe.
The officer said that marijuana was also found on Brown.
She too admitted that all of the men were alive at the time she arrived.
Officer Russell further noted that “at some point” during the prisoners’ struggle with officers, she heard what sounded like several gunshots, but could not say who or what was shot.
Officer Russell said there was no ambulance or medical personnel on the scene.
The witness also testified that once at the prison, she and another officer conducted a walkabout of Maximum Security’s C block.
“The bars in cells 11 and 12 were cut. In cell 13, the bars were cut in the area of the bottom right. In cell 16, they were cut in the area of the bottom left. Cell 24 was also cut and there was an attempt to cut cell 9,” Officer Russell said.
Brown reportedly occupied cell 11; Parcoi, cell 12; Bowe, cell 13, and Hepburn, cell 16.
Officials say inmate Ellison Smith occupied cell 24 while Trono Davis was housed in cell 9.
According to the witness, several items were retrieved from the cells including paper notes showing a sketch of the cells, pieces of bars, string, a cell phone charger and hacksaw blades found hidden in a leftover cookie wrapper, inside the cell’s wall, under the beds, hidden in an Aquapure label and in the concrete.
Several prison officers have testified that during checks of the various cells, all appeared to be in order.
Testimony is expected to continue on Thursday at 10am.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
