NEW YORK — Joyce Mitchell, the prison seamstress who has been charged with helping the two convicted murderers escape from a maximum security New York prison admitted to investigators that she had sex with one of fugitives in the tailor shop, prosecutors said.
Mitchell said that she was having sex with Richard Matt ahead of his June 6 escape and she “thought it was love.”
NBC News reports that she was investigated for a sexual relationship with the second inmate, David Sweat, but there wasn’t enough information to charge her. Even so, authorities moved Sweat out of the tailoring shop to keep him separated from Mitchell.
According to a report by the Times Union, prison worker Joyce Mitchell allegedly “told investigators she had agreed to a plan with two convicted murderers that she would pick them up after they broke out of prison, they would kill her husband and flee to Vermont.
During two lengthy interviews with State Police, Mitchell, 51, allegedly said David Sweat and Richard Matt planned to flee to a cabin at an undisclosed location in Vermont.”
Mitchell’s husband has visited her in jail.
Mitchell backed out of the plan and eventually turned herself into police, according to Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie: “They were going to meet down by the power plant, drive, I’m not going to say into the sunset, because it was after midnight and it was dark out, but they were going to drive … potentially to an area that was about seven hours away.” — “Joyce Mitchell ditched the plan to pick up the two inmates partly because she loves her husband and she didn’t want to do this to him.”
MORE: The New York State Police continue to search for escapees David Sweat and Richard Matt along State Route 374 in the Town of Plattsburgh. Route 374 will remain closed between General Leroy Manor Road and Rand Hill Road until the search has been completed.
As of Saturday, more than 800 law enforcement officers from state, local and federal agencies are assisting in this search. Investigators will continue to search door to door to remind residents to be vigilant. The search area will expand tomorrow towards the east side of Trudeau Road. Officers and Forest Rangers from the Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as officers from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, FBI, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Clinton and Essex County Sheriff Departments and the Plattsburgh Police Department are all providing assistance in the search. All available assets are being deployed around the clock, including K9 and aviation units. More than 700 leads have been developed at this point in the investigation.
