Pennsylvania prison officer who failed to report Danelo Cavalcante’s escape is placed on leave

Cavalcante’s escape went unnoticed for almost an hour after a tower officer failed to report it

A correctional officer has been placed on leave after he failed to report the escape of an “extremely dangerous” inmate.

The manhunt for Danelo Cavalcante continues more than a week after the convicted murderer escaped from Chester County Prison.

Cavalcante, who was recently sentenced to life over the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend, escaped the facility on 31 August while other inmates in the exercise yard played basketball. Video of the incident showed him crab-walking up a wall in order to gain access to the prison’s roof.

He then jumped down another area of the prison and left on foot. The unconventional method is exactly the same that was used by another inmate back in May, Chester County Prison acting Warden Howard Holland said during a press conference on Tuesday.

During that incident, the inmate was captured within minutes after a tower officer reported the break to prison staff. In Cavalcante’s case, the tower officer tasked with surveilling the escape route failed to report the jailbreak, which went unnoticed for nearly an hour.

Cavalcante’s absence was only noticed during a head count when his block returned back inside after the basketball game.

Mr Holland said the tower officer who failed to report the escape is now on administrative leave and his performance is at the centre of an investigation by the state attorney’s office.

The acting warden said that appropriate action would be taken against personnel based on the results of the investigation.

Cavalcante escaped Chester County Prison on 31 August (AP)

Mr Holland said that following the escape attempt in May, the prison had brought consultants in to increase security at the facility. Razor wire — which Cavalcante pushed through — was placed to prevent access to the roof, but officials didn’t expect “the human element” to fail, Mr Holland said.

“While we believed that the security measures we had in place were sufficient, they have proven otherwise,” Mr Holland said. “And we will work to enhance our security ... One key difference in [this] escape is the role of the tower officer whose primary responsibility is to oversee the inmate in the exercise yard.”

Mr Holland declined to say what the prison officer was believed to be doing during the escape, only noting that he was at the post.

Authorities said during a press conference on Thursday that the search perimeter had to be expanded to between eight to ten square miles after Cavalcante slipped past the initial search area.

A prison officer at Chester County Prison has been placed on leave over the escape (© Copyright 2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer)

“I have every reason to believe he is within that perimeter,” Lt Col Bevins said. “We are working really hard to capture the convict and not let him go anywhere.”

Officials said on Thursday that they were investigating a possible sighting of Cavalcante at the Longwood Gardens. Longwood Gardens, a popular tourist destination in Chester County will be closed until further notice, officials said

Before that, Cavalcante was spotted near Chandler Road in Pennsbury Township on Tuesday evening.

The Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers have offered $10,000 for information that leads to Cavalcante’s capture, bringing the reward total to $20,000. the US Marshals, SWAT, and local and state police have joined the search.