PBS, NPR and local perspective for western Mass.

Search Continues For Inmate Who Escaped From Connecticut Prison

Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Correction Scott Semple speaks at a press briefing on January 8, 2018.
Ryan Caron King

Authorities say a missing inmate who escaped from the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield may have stowed away under a state service vehicle or garbage truck.

Speaking at a press briefing Monday, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Correction Scott Semple said Jerry Mercado was found to be missing after a routine inmate count on Sunday.

“He did not breach the outer perimeter of the fenceline, and we believe that a motor vehicle was involved,” Semple said.

Semple said the state is examining security procedures at the state’s other correctional facilities.

“Although our investigation is very much in our infancy, we acknowledge vulnerabilities that have been identified within our security practices,” Semple said.

Mercado was classified as a low-risk offender, serving a three-year sentence for burglary. Authorities believe he’s now in the Hartford area.

Copyright 2018 Connecticut Public Radio

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Ryan Caron King is a freelance multimedia reporter atWNPR. As an intern, he created short web videos to accompany some ofWNPR'sreporting online. As a student at the University of Connecticut, he managedUConn'scollege radio stationWHUS, where he headed an initiative to launch a recording and video production studio. Ryan graduated fromUConnwith a Journalism/English double major in 2015.