Inmate in Famous Escape Cooked Up Another Plan

But David Sweat asked his girlfriend to tell authorities all about it
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 31, 2017 12:16 PM CST
Inmate in Famous Escape Cooked Up Another Plan
David Sweat, right, in Clinton County Court in Plattsburgh, N.Y., in this file photo.   (Gabe Dickens/Press-Republican via AP, Pool)

One of two inmates who pulled off a brazen escape from a New York state prison in 2015 hatched an elaborate plan to escape again. But instead of acting on it, David Sweat came up with a twist: He'd tell authorities all about it and get some extra privileges in exchange for his help exposing security weaknesses. As the New York Times reports, the odd plan didn't work, and Sweat ended up getting transferred to Attica from the Five Points Correctional Facility in Seneca County. Sweat, 37, gained fame a few years ago when he and Richard Matt broke out of the Clinton Correctional Facility and remained at large for three weeks. Matt was eventually shot and killed by authorities in the woods of upstate New York, while Sweat survived his own shooting and returned to prison.

According to the story, Sweat laid out an elaborate new scheme that involved disabling an electronic sensor, building a standing dummy of himself, and using water-soaked blankets to pull open a steel grate. He then asked his girlfriend, 45-year-old Fran Malanik, to go to authorities with a deal: He'd give them all the details if they'd grant him more privileges, including one extra visit a week from her. She did indeed set up a meeting at which Sweat explained the potential escape, but the inmate received none of his perks. Instead, he was transferred to Attica. A state prison spokesman says that Sweat's plan was "without merit" but that he was moved to the more secure prison "out of an abundance of caution." Read the full story for all the details. (More David Sweat stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X