As the search continues for the two escaped convicts from Dannamora Prison, another prison employee has been arrested in connection with their escape. Corrections officer Gene Palmer was arrested and charged with promoting prison contraband in the first degree (a class D felony), two counts of tampering with physical evidence (a class E felony) and one count of official misconduct (a class A misdemeanor). His bail was set at $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash bail.

Palmer had been suspended without pay on Friday as investigators looked further at the details of the escape of  David Sweat and Richard Matt, who burrowed out of the maximum security prison at Dannamora on June 6th.

Palmer’s attorney, Andrew Brockway, told the press that his client is not guilty of promoting contraband and did not know that the raw meat that he had passed to the two convicted murderers had any contraband secreted inside. Brockway said of Palmer, “He made a mistake, and he’s sorry about that.” Palmer, who has worked at the prison for 27 years denied knowing anything was in the hamburger.

The prison seamstress, Joyce Mitchell, told investigators that she had placed hacksaw blades, a hole punch and drill bits into hamburger meat and smuggled it into the prison and placed it in the refrigerator in the tailor shop before Palmer took the meat and tools to the prisoners.

Mitchell also told investigators that she did not believe that Palmer knew that he was handling contraband. Palmer also passed a polygraph when questioned about his complicity.

Mitchell also told investigators about a murder for hire plot that she had set up with the two killers to murder her husband. But, in court, Mitchell has pleaded not guilty.

Over 1,000 state, local and federal officers are active in the search for the two escapees. Searchers converged on a small cabin in the Adirondacks last week where the two men had previously been in. This was known because the DNA of both men was found at the cabin, as was a pair of underwear. Over the weekend, another lead took searchers to the two small towns of Amity and Friendship when a sighting of the two escapees was reported near a railroad.

Matt was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years for the murder of a business man from Buffalo. Sweat was serving a life without parole sentence for the murder of a broome county deputy in 2002.

The state of New York is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the capture of the men. U.S. Marshals have added the two men to the 15 most wanted list and is offering $25,000 for each man.

  adirondacks, dannamora, devis sweat, escapees, gene palmer, joyce mitchell, new york, richard matt, search