Police may be on the right track in solving the mystery of inmates getting out of the Territorial Correctional Facility on a regular basis.
After receiving a tip that an inmate had left the TCF, officers staked out the home of the inmate’s family for the good part of two weeks. In all that time there was not one sighting of him at his home.
DPS then made a call to the TCF to check if the inmate was in his cell and it was confirmed that the inmate was missing.
That same day, Tuesday this week, police stopped a vehicle belonging to the inmate’s family which was on the road behind the Juvenile Detention Center. It was suspected that the vehicle was taking the inmate back to the TCF. Inside the vehicle, which was driven by the inmate’s wife, was the missing inmate lying flat on a lowered seat.
Police suspect that when DPS called TCF to check in the inmate an insider alerted him to return.
The inmate was turned over to the Criminal Investigations Division for questioning.
KHJ News gathered the information for this story from several sources who spoke only on condition that they not be identified and that their workplaces not even be mentioned in the story.
As KHJ news has reported, inmates leaving the TCF has become a regular occurrence. And there is never any notice to the public about their being out in public .
The head of the Department of Corrections Tauanuu Faisiota Tauanuu and warden, Papalii Marion Fiitsemanu have not answered any questions or made a public statement about the breakouts or what is now apparent, inmates being allowed to leave the TCF.
Meanwhile homes and businesses have fallen victim to break-ins property damage and theft.
The safety of residents is also under threat if convicts who are supposed to be behind bars are allowed to roam freely.
