Danelo Cavalcante has been on the loose for NINE days. Nine. It’s kind of inconceivable that this is going on but it’s the real world so it happens. I still don’t understand how it happened from the perspective of it took that prison an hour to figure out he was gone? As of 5:30 PM , the AP is reporting the guard who was supposed to be watching was fired. Is this person the only head to roll here? What about whoever was on duty in May when the other guy escaped or in 2019 when the other guy escaped the first time?
AP: U.S. NEWS Prison guard who missed killer’s escape is fired, as hunt for fugitive focuses on botanic garden
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A prison tower guard has been fired after letting a murderer slip away on his watch in a brazen daytime escape, officials said Friday, as the nine-day-old search pressed on amid southeastern Philadelphia suburbs, farmland and a vast botanical garden.
News of the firing came as the searchers’ ranks grew overnight, focusing on the area around Longwood Gardens, where the fugitive inmate has been spotted before.
Danelo Souza Cavalcante, 34, escaped while awaiting transfer to state prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021. Prosecutors say he wanted to stop her from telling police that he’s wanted over a killing in his home country of Brazil.
But there are other people that we haven’t heard from in this. We haven’t heard from board members of that prison who are elected officials in Chester County, seeking reelection and higher office. I’m speaking specifically about Chair of the Chester County Commissioners Marian Moscowitz and Sheriff Fredda Maddox, now judicial candidate.
I am asking this as a registered Democrat no less. It’s nothing personal but I think we haven’t heard from them and I know for one I would feel more comfortable if I heard anything coming out of their mouths on this issue and temporary new normal and all I hear are other people. It’s like they are leaving District Attorney Deb Ryan on her own, and I just don’t think that’s right.
The law-enforcement presence amped up further today, and these people are to be applauded even if they haven’t found Cavalcante yet. They are working their asses off. Which is more than you can say for the people at Chester County prison who let this happen in the first place.
I am sharing an excerpt from today’s Inquirer article and I will point out that the byline holder with Vinny Vella named Jesse Bunch is Inquirer legacy. I don’t know either of his parents, but I read and have read their articles and columns for years (his mom is retired from the paper.) This is a total non-related aside, but I think it’s pretty cool.
by Vinny Vella and Jesse Bunch
Published Sep. 8, 2023, 4:45 p.m. ET
The search for escaped Chester County inmate Danelo Cavalcante grew significantly on its ninth day Friday, as Pennsylvania State Police officials boosted the force searching for him to its largest size since he fled from custody on Aug. 31.
Close to 400 officers from local, state, and federal agencies were focusing on a roughly 8-square-mile stretch of woods near Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, according to State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens. Cavalcante was last seen in the vicinity of the gardens around noon Thursday, and a trail camera on Longwood’s property recorded him late Wednesday evening, Bivens said a news briefing Friday morning at the fire station.
Meanwhile, a guard at the prison who was on duty during Cavalcante’s escape and didn’t see him climb up onto the roof was fired late Thursday, according to a source at the prison who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the investigation. The officer, whose name was not immediately available, had worked at the prison for 20 years, according to the source….In the aftermath of Cavalcante’s escape, prison administrators searched the tower officer and found that he was carrying his personal cell phone in violation of regulations at the prison, the source said Friday.
Nerves are frayed all over Chester County. You don’t have to be immediately in the vicinity with all the police activity to be concerned. This is our new normal right now but it’s anything but normal.
I hear the Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square is going on as planned this weekend, I almost think that’s kind of crazy at this point I wish they could postpone it until next weekend but I hope they have a good time.
OK it’s dinner time for me. Have a good evening.
I agree 100% !! My feelings about the chesco government are that there needs to be accountability f4om the top. Why isn’t Shapiro demanding answers too?
This even made the news in New Zealand last night. I hope he is caught soon.
We never choose how country commissioner leadership is tested. It appears the crown is too heavy or thorny. It’s easy to be appear to be in command when times are rosy. No rose comes without thorns.
Two distinct issues I see are the operational matters (generally speaking the he convergence of people, process, and tools) – and the general awareness of what sound operations are, whether we have them, and how to implement/maintain them. The second issue is a threshold to get to the practical issue…
That’s a very flowery way of saying that current leadership has shown itself to be incompetent. And to be clear, that has NOTHING to do with the people that came before. Bad things happen. People can choose among two options..1: respond. 2: react.
Doing nothing is either a reaction of fear or a response of indifference. Take your pick.
Where’s Marian? She’s the board chair. She holds the gavel. She’s responsible, as is Josh, as is Michelle. But…Marian holds the chair…. That’s the throne. The gavel is the scepter. The office is the crown.
What should happen, but probably won’t..
1. Marian and Josh need to resign. They can’t credibly serve. We need new candidates. Need caretakers.. IDK..It’s a mess now!! This is an election year after all. Not that it should matter, but Marian and Josh didn’t get the memo..
2. Baring #1, the CCDC should withdraw every endorsement of any serving county official seeking the same or new office.
3. Even if #2 happens, the CCDC needs a shake-up. Much of the dysfunction we’re seeing is a result of no established, sound policies. A political party’s job is simple, adopt a platform and advocate that platform through the political process of getting your candidates elected (all within the bounds of law and Western Liberal Democratic Principles). The CCDC isn’t capable of doing the most basic of political functions. If the CCDC was doing its job, as part of its advocacy role, would be all in on voter registration. The D’s only have ~ 8K voter advantage in the county… Let that sink in…If you’re a Democrat in this county and you look at the other side, you have to ask yourself, “Should it still be so difficult??” No it should not.. Running a political organization requires a seriousness that wouldn’t be incident to something like…a country club….
4. The FOP should withdraw their Democratic endorsements.
We have some serious challenges. A lot of technical debt. I’m sure we saw the same bad conditions on TV re: the Fulton County Jail. Guess what, I’ll raise you the Chester County Jail.
Our county is a national embarrassment…
Leadership requires elected officials of sufficient character, competence, and backbone. Character to be transparently values driven. Competent to know what to do, which often requires engaging with experts who know what they are doing. Backbone to tell the electorate what it needs to hear, not what it wants to hear; especially if that isn’t in the elected officials best interest.
Just be a square dealer. Nothing more, nothing less. And then let the people decide. As long as one isn’t nefarious, none of that should be a problem.