IONIA COUNTY, Mich (February 7, 2014) – Two Michigan Department of Corrections employees have been suspended for alleged work rule violations following the escape of convicted murderer Michael Elliot.
A spokesperson for the MDOC tells FOX 17 the two employees were working at the Ionia Correctional Facility the night that Elliot escaped.
Both employees have been suspended without pay for the first 7 days of their suspension according to a union bargaining agreement as the investigation continues into how the escape happened.
A spokesperson with the MDOC also says surveillance video from the evening Elliot escapes shows him using his hands to loosen and create a hole in the gate of two perimeter fences. The gate portion of the fence Elliot broke through does not carry an electric charge because it’s an area that opens and closes for vehicles.
FOX 17 has also learned that surveillance video shows a perimeter vehicle on patrol was once within 20 feet of Elliot during his escape, a near-miss during the breakout.
The MDOC also says there are motion sensors in place that were operational near the fences that Elliot broke through that should have tripped an alarm, but did not. The reason that alarm was sounded is also a part of the ongoing investigation by the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The spokesperson for the MDOC says the internal probe into the escape should be completed sometime next week.
Elliot was arrested in LaPorte County, Indiana following a 24-hour manhunt on Monday.
