Thursday, June 27, 2019

SEEKING MORE INFORMATION

by Bob Walsh

This is, of course, from an news report and not an incident report. It does, however, point out some holes somewhere, either in the reporting or in the procedure being reported on.

Sunday afternoon a guest of the state of California tried to escape. Specifically an inmate was being transported from Mule Creek State Prison at Ione to the prison ward at San Joaquin County Hospital for a scheduled medical appointment. OK, not a big deal, that happens all the time. Then a CHP officer who happens to be arriving at the hospital sees a man hot-footing it across the parking lot with two state correctional officers in pursuit.

The prisoner makes it to I-5 nearby, then crosses part of the freeway and starts to shed his orange jump suit. At that point the CHP officer pepper sprays the crap out of the suspected escapee and the state correctional officers gaffle him back up. He was then returned to Ione, presumably without completing his medical appointment.

The prisoner, Isidro Hernandez, was a lifer out of Santa Clara county and was 12 years into his sentence for L&L with a minor. He physically attacked one of the correctional officers and then ran.

Here we get into questions. How is it he was unrestrained? Did he beat feet from the parking lot of inside the building? Why didn't the officer who was not attacked shoot him? How close was he being pursued? Why wasn't he fired on as he left the parking lot if nothing else? (The freeway is elevated there, there would be little risk to others.)

Somehow I doubt subsequent news stories, if any, will fill in the blanks. I am, however, curious.

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