Fugitives Endanger a Colorado City
            By: Sam Grimes, Tony Westmeyer, Tyler Albright, and Ben Helman





       George Rivas, Michael Rodrigues, Joseph Garcia, Randy Halprin, Larry Harper, Patrick Henry Murphy Jr., and Donald Newbury escaped from a maximum security prison in Texas, over six weeks ago. They planned this escape very carefully. They waited until most of the guards went to lunch. Then they killed a lone guard with homemade knives and an axe handle. Then they cleverly dressed up as maintenance workers. They made it outside and drove off in a pick-up truck. Most of the fugitives hid in the back under some lumber.
        It's obvious that there are some problems with the way that the prison is being run. If we are to have a maximum security prison, then we need to make some changes. One suggestion is that we have higher technology, more guards, and only so many prisoners to a prison. Another suggestion is that there should be a guard assigned to a cell. Then if that guard goes off duty or goes to lunch, another guard comes and takes the place of the other guard. That way no prisoner is left unattended. 
              The public was put in danger because the prison officers and the law enforcers did a poor job of containing these criminals. The fugitives killed a guard while they were trying to escape. A man's life was lost because of the poor job that the law enforcers did. Are we really safe from the fugitives? Maybe, if we make some changes, we might truly be safe. 

Sources: USA Today Online  Back to Edison Homepage

            Back to Headline News Winter 2001 Edition