(Does you guys remember a few months ago when I was so surprised that inmates in Hawaii could escape with bedsheets…well, guess what? They did it AGAIN! Only in Hawaii….cd)
Big Island police are searching for three inmates who escaped from the Hawaii Community Correctional Center Sunday night.
Police got the call at about 11 p.m. The inmates, Shawn DeCosta, 25, Kole Kuokamakana Race-Joaquin, 23, and Franklin R. Enos, 31, were last seen at 8:11 p.m.
The men are not violent offenders, but authorities consider them to be dangerous and should not be approached.
“All of them are in on some kind of drug-related charges. They’re not a dangerous type of people, but they are escapees and should be considered dangerous because of the stress they’re under,” Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike Gaede said.
The three inmates escaped by removing the metal screen and louvers from a restroom window, then climbed down 30 feet on bed sheets that were tied together, according to police.
Prison authorities said after the last prison break, security was beefed up.
“We’ve already done that since the last escape. What happened this time, we don’t know. We’ll find out as the investigation continues,” Gaede said.
Police said it appears that the inmates ran toward Waianuenue Avenue.
Race-Joaquin’s Description:
# Height: 5 foot 7 inches tall
# Weight: about 190 pounds
# Hair: short, black
# Eyes: brown
Enos’ Description:
# Height: 5 feet 5 inches tall
# Weight: about 150 pounds
# Hair: black
# Eyes: brown
DeCosta’s Description:
# Height: 5 feet 6 inches tall
# Weight: about 160 pounds
# Hair: black
# Eyes: hazel
Police asked that anyone with information on the whereabouts of either of the men call Officer Royce Serrao of the South Hilo Patrol at 961-2213 or the police non-emergency number at 935-3311.
Less than four months ago, two other inmates at the Hilo facility also escaped by tying bed sheets together.
Public safety officials reported then that the two inmates escaped by using the bed sheets to climb 18 feet to the top of the Punahele Recreation Complex, where they broke a window and jumped off the roof into an unfenced area.
Security guards spotted the two men running across Waianueneue Avenue.
One escapee was caught, the other turned himself in.
