When law enforcement or other authorities assume the custody of any person, they also assume the responsibility for keeping them safe, and for protecting such persons and others from danger.I will say this, I am glad they apprehended the child molester but the fact remains he should have never been able to escape so easily.
The state Department of Corrections knows it was lucky that inmate Donald Dravis didn’t make it to the mainland after walking out of the gate of McNeil Island prison in December and boarding the outbound ferry.
The department’s own review of the incident found an “environment of denial,” a “false sense of security,” and a “lack of rapid response.” There was “some confusion, chaos” and “the appearance that staff didn’t know how to respond.” The escape siren wasn’t sounded, the shift commander wasn’t immediately notified, and the escape protocols weren’t initiated until the associate superintendent started them 25 minutes into the affair.
If it hadn’t been for the “good instincts” and sharp eyes of officer Jason Meyers, “this team is convinced offender Dravis would have made it to the mainland,” the report says.
In the same paragraph, reviewers acknowledged that even Meyers “did not follow emergency response guidelines.”
The near-escape exposed a number of security issues, including that civilian island residents “come in and out of the facility without IDs” to pick up mail. The incident prompted a 30-point improvement agenda, much of which officials say has already been implemented. No decisions have been made about staff discipline, officials said Monday.
The near-escape has also raised awareness about preparedness across the department’s 15 prisons, said deputy prisons director Earl Wright.
“We don’t have a great number of escapes – knock on wood,” he said. “But because we don’t have them on a regular basis, we’re always challenged to stay at the level of alert we need to be at.”
Sean Murphy, the associate superintendent at McNeil, said the prison has taken a “back to basics” approach that includes new security features, additional staff training and a clarification of job duties.
Few details were released at the time of the attempt, but the report, released to The News Tribune under a public records request, outlines what happened.
‘SPUR OF THE MOMENT’
Dravis told officials reviewing the incident that on the morning of Dec. 29, he decided on the “spur of the moment” to leave. He said he thought that if he could get caught on the outside he would get someone to listen to his complaint that his release date had been unfairly extended. Dravis is serving time on first- and second-degree child molestation convictions.
Leaving his prison-issued ID card in his room, Dravis walked through the sliding door at the control booth. The booth controls access to the main prison building, but an additional checkpoint and perimeter gate must be passed to get to the ferry.
Dravis was dressed in civilian clothing, which offenders at McNeil are allowed to wear. Civilian clothing is already scheduled to be phased out to save money on prison laundry costs.
“He said that there were so many opportunities that he did not think not having an ID would be a big deal,” the report says.
Accounts differ as to whether Dravis exited the facility alone or with a group of people.
Sgt. William Anderson was working the control booth that afternoon. He was alone while another correctional officer was on break. Anderson told reviewers that a man, later identified as Dravis, was standing with a group of mental health workers and carrying a clipboard. Psychological associate Carson Carter was among the group and talked about going to a casino, Anderson said.
He opened the slider and let them go toward the outer gate.
But both Dravis and Carter told reviewers they had each passed through the control booth alone. Carter reported that Dravis was already on the ferry when he arrived; he was “sitting with a lady and they looked like they were talking,” Carter said.
Because of the “conflicting testimony, the team was not able to substantiate if offender Dravis was alone or in a group of individuals when entering and exiting major control,” the report says.
Officials said security video does not clarify whether Dravis left alone or with a group.
Officer David Snow was stationed at the prison gate house near the outer perimeter. He stopped Dravis and asked to see his ID. Dravis feinted, fumbling in his shirt for it and then said he must have left it in his truck. Snow let him pass.
Meyers saw the exchange and thought he recognized Dravis, the report says. He followed Dravis down to the ferry dock and onto the boat.
Meyers walked up and said, “Dravis.” Dravis looked up.
Meyers asked him what he was doing. Dravis said he’d been released, but couldn’t produce any paperwork.
Meyers then left the boat and tried to verify the story with Anderson in the control booth. He also notified Lt. Dennis Simons, the shift commander, that they might be dealing with a potential escape. Simons sent a sergeant down to the dock to act as the on-site supervisor and called the boat captain and told him not to leave.
Pretty soon officers started forming a circle around him on the boat, Dravis said. Dravis began to “make a scene” and the officers evacuated the boat. The officers were eventually able to talk him into leaving the vessel.
The reviewers said apprehension protocols weren’t followed and noted a lack of supervisory direction during a use-of-force incident after Dravis had been recaptured.
ALTERCATION BACK AT PRISON
What happened when they got back to the prison was also a matter of concern for the reviewers.
Both Dravis and Snow agreed that Snow had told the inmate something to the effect of “Five minutes of freedom for five years of time.”
Dravis was placed against the staff mailboxes while the officers figured out what to do with him.
In the measured tones of the report, the next thing that happened was that “Offender Dravis tensed and shifted his weight at which time he was escorted to the ground.”
Officer Trevor Humphrey said it looked like Dravis had “pushed his weight back on the escorting officers.” Officer Jacob Cummings said “Dravis suddenly tensed up and he (Cummings) put pressure on him and offender Dravis pushed back.”
Dravis said he was “trying to adjust himself and was taken to the ground, tackled, elbowed in the lower back, his ankle turned (at) a 45 degree angle and he heard a couple of pops.”
The report says there was “a lack of supervisory direction during application and direction of use of force.” It also points out that there was no debriefing after the incident.
The News Tribune offered the involved officers a chance to comment through McNeil officials. They all declined.
Among the reviewers’ recommendations were:
• Develop a process for updating offenders’ institutional photos as their appearance changes.
• Revise orders to include language about the responsibility for verifying IDs.
• Add training for staff in emergency response procedures and offender apprehension.
The last successful escape from McNeil was in 1992.
Rapist Timothy Webb hid in a tractor-trailer full of furniture that was brought by barge to the mainland. He was arrested in Spokane a week later.
Ian Demsky: 253-597-8872
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/674100.html
