Deputies thwart escape attempt

WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. » Officers from the Madison County Correctional Facility are credited with quick discovery of what was an escape attempt early Sunday afternoon.

Michael A. Hernandez, 44, of Bridgeport, an inmate at the Madison County Jail, attempted to escape from the jail by creating a facsimile of himself on his bunk, disassembling the ceiling of the cell he was assigned to and exiting through it. He was apprehended by correction officers before making it out of his cell, as his legs were dangling overhead.

Hernandez was being held on fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property at the time of his attempt.

Hernandez had been arrested for DWI drugs earlier in the week of Oct. 16 and was being taken to a rehabilitation facility by a family member when po- lice say he decided to leave the vehicle. When the family member attempted to call 911, Hernandez allegedly came back to the car, choked the family member, and took the cell phone that was being used. Hernandez then fled and was later apprehended by the New York State Police, arraigned in the Town of Sullivan Court and held at Madi- son County Jail on $300 cash bail.

He was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing of blood circulation; fourth-degree criminal mischief; and second-degree harassment.

Hernandez posted bail on these charges on Saturday afternoon, but was arrested at that time as the credit card used to post bail was reported as stolen. As a result, he was charged with fourthdegree grand larceny; fourth-degree criminal possession of sto- len property; petty larceny; and second- degree criminal content. Hernandez was arraigned in Oneida City Court and held at Madison County Jail on $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond.

As a result of his actions on Sunday, Hernandez was arrested by sheriff’s investigators and further charged with first-degree attempted escape; and third-degree criminal tampering. He was arraigned Monday morning in

Oneida City Court and sent back to the jail on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. Her- nandez will return to court at a later date to face these charges.

Acting Sheriff John Ball said that at no time was the public in any danger, nor did the facility’s inmate escape siren activate. “Mr. Hernandez never made it out of the confines of the secure facility, but the evidence that was discovered clearly showed his intentions were not to stay in jail,” Ball said. “The fact that our corrections officers were conducting their rounds and remaining vigilant, as they always do, ensured the safety of not only the facility, but the public as well. I commend the officers and supervisors on duty Sunday afternoon that were in- volved with this incident, as their decisive actions absolutely and abruptly brought this very serious matter to safe resolution.”

The county’s Facilities Maintenance Department responded to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the areas determined to be involved in the attempt to ensure no further damage was done to the facility, and to rule out any further breaches in the secure integrity of the building.

Michael A. Hernandez