Seven Inmates Escape in Three Days

According to the Florida Department of Corrections web site from August 29th to August 31, 2007 seven inmates have escaped. Has the public been notified? One inmate that escaped on August 29th has been captured but the other six according to the web site are still free. One of the inmates walked away from his work detail at Sumter Work Camp, in Sumter County, Florida. His name is John E. Kist, 59 years old. He is white with brown hair and blue eyes, 5 feet 8 inches tall approximately 172 pounds. His offense record goes back to 1995, but he was not sentenced until March 26, 1999 in Pinellas County, Florida. Kist's offenses range from acquiring property from racketeering, misrepresentation, grand theft, and arson with willful damage to structure.

William L. Smith escaped from Dinsmore WRC in Jacksonville, located in Duval County, Florida on August 31, 2007. He is 24 years old, black with black hair and hazel eyes, 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighs approximately 188 pounds. He was sentenced in September of 2003 in Volusia County, Florida.

James E. Lee escaped from Ft. Pierce WRC in Ft. Pierce, located in St. Lucie County, Florida on August 31, 2007. He is 39 years old, white with brown hair and blue eyes. He is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs approximately 154 pounds. He was sentenced in November of 2003 in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Roy L. Samaniego escaped from Ocala's reentry center in Ocala, located in Marion County, Florida on August 30, 2007. He is 25 years old, white with brown hair and eyes, 5 feet 4 inches, and approximately 155 pounds. He was sentenced in April of 2004 in Marion County, Florida.

Everet J. Doyle escaped from the Miami North WRC, in Miami, located in Dade County, Florida on August 30, 2007. He is 39 years old, white with brown hair and blue eyes, 6 feet 3 inches, and approximately 220 pounds. He was sentenced in April of 2007 in Palm Beach County. He has previous sentencing in Palm Beach and Broward County, Florida

Mike J. Riccio escaped from Miami North WRC, in Miami, located in Miami-Dade County, Florida on August 29, 2007. He is 55 years old, white with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighs approximately 155 pounds. He was sentenced in March of 2007 in Palm Beach County.

Check out the Florida Department of Corrections web site and you will see just since August 29th, 2007 there have been seven escapes with only one having been captured. I, as a citizen of Florida would like to know why this is happening. Is there not enough officers? Is it poor supervision of the inmates? Why is it so easy for these inmates to escape?

I also would like to know why is it I haven't heard anything in the news about the escapes, Does it depend on the crimes that they committed? I feel the public has the right to know when there is a convicted criminal loose, and it shouldn't matter what the crime is. If a person is doing time for a crime and escapes we (the public) have the right to know. As a former corrections officer from New York State I know to check the Florida Department of Corrections web site as well as the county sheriffs' web site regularly so that I can stay informed. But a citizen with no police or correctional background is not going to think about doing that. This is where the local departments need to inform the public of what is going on in the community.

On the Florida Department of Corrections web site they ask if you know the whereabouts of any of the escapees, to let your local police department know or you can call the Florida Department of Corrections (850) 922-6867.

Source:
Florida Department of Corrections web site, Corrections Offender Network, Inmate Escape Information Search, Retrieved September 1, 2007
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/EscapedInmates/search.asp