SCDC, SLED: Drone May Have Delivered Wire Cutter To Help Prisoner Escape
Prison Was Caputred in Texas with Guns, Cell Phones and Nearly $48,000 in Cash
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)- In a joint announcement, the director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections and the chief of State Law Enforcement Division said they believe drones and contraband played a role in aiding Jimmy Causey’s escape.
“As long as cell phones are continually utilized by inmates in prison we will have things like this, very well-planned escapes as this was,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel.
SCDC Director Bryan Stirling says on Independence Day, Causey used cell phones to have tools delivered to him while he was still behind bars at Lieber Correctional in Dorchester County.
“We believe a drone was used to fly in the tools to allow him to escape. I know there’s been some questions about how escaped, he used wire cutters to cut through fences.”
Stirling says the department was notified of Causey’s disappearance the next day after he fooled officers into believing he was still there.
“He used a make shift dummy to fake the staff out,” said Stirling.
Chief Keel said investigators are still working to determine how Causey was able to travel out west but once he was there, SLED received a tip, leading them to Austin, Texas where they found Causey with loaded firearms .
“They caught him while he was sleeping. There was no resistance. I will tell you that he was armed with a bunch of semi -automatic pistols and a pumped shotgun. He also had additional ammunition, he had four cell phones and $47,654 in cash at the time of his arrest,” said Keel.
Causey is still awaiting extradition back to South Carolina but Chief Keels said they hope to have him processed as soon as possible
