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On the same day gubernatorial candidate Terry Goddard issued a press release slamming Governor Jan Brewer for “letting the prison system fall apart,” we got word from the Arizona Department of Corrections that another inmate has escaped custody.
Jan’s not gonna like that.
DOC spokesman Barrett Marson tells New Times 44-year-old Jeffrey Douglas was last seen at 12:05 p.m. today. He checked in with the supervisor of a Tucson city work crew doing landscaping work away from the prison.
By 12:30 p.m., Douglas was gone.
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Marson says it’s unclear, at the moment, exactly how Douglas escaped.
Douglas was in the middle of his second stint as a guest of the state — a 7 1/2-year bid for theft of means of transportation and misconduct involving a weapon.
He previously served three years for theft in the 1980s.
As you probably know, the escape comes as federal authorities continue to search for John McCluskey, who — along with two other inmates — escaped from the Kingman prison more than two weeks ago.
The prison break has raised questions about security at Arizona prisons — specifically prisons that are privately run.
Goddard is trying to score a little political capital from the escapes, continuing to hammer Brewer because the inmates escaped under her watch.
“We need to find real solutions to the broken prison system. Jan Brewer, do your job. Secure the prisons,” Goddard says.
Slow down, Terry. Jan’s busy trying to “secure” the border — that’s where the votes are.
