2010 jail break in Mohave County, Arizona
Encyclopedia
On July 30, 2010, three inmates — Tracy Province, Daniel Renwick, and John McCluskey — escaped
from the Kingman Arizona State Prison, a for-profit medium security prison, owned by the Mohave County Industrial Development Authority and operated by Utah's Management & Training Corporation. A female accomplice named Casslyn Welch, who was engaged to McCluskey, assisted the escape. In the next three weeks, local law enforcement captured Province in Wyoming, and Renwick in Colorado, and finally Welch and McCluskey in Arizona.
and armed robbery, Renwick was serving two consecutive 22-year terms for two murders, and McCluskey was serving 15 years for attempted second-degree murder and other crimes. They escaped the prison with the help of female accomplice Casslyn Mae Welch (born July 21, 1966), a first cousin and fiancée of McCluskey who was on his visitation list and a resident of Mesa, Arizona
, In June, Welch was arrested outside the Kingman prison under accusations she tried to smuggle drugs in the prison. She drove a blue 1996 Chrysler Concorde
to the prison and threw small bolt cutters and lineman's pliers over a chain-linked fence to the three prisoners. The inmates cut a hole in the fence, abandoned the tools, and escaped. Alarms went off without response around 9 p.m. local time related to the fence breaching activity. Having separated from the other three, Renwick fled in the getaway car. McCluskey, Province, and Welch walked to Interstate 40
, hijacked a semi-trailer truck stopped along a ramp, forced the drivers to the back, and left the truck in Flagstaff.
At 12:47 a.m. on August 1 in Rifle
, Colorado, approximately 670 miles (1,078.3 km) from the prison, Rewick was arrested. A sheriff's deputy responding to a suspicious vehicle call spotted Renwick driving McCluskey's brown Chevy Blazer. Renwick fired a gun at a police car that had joined the chase after the officer activated emergency lights. Along with the deputy's cruiser, the officer gave chase on Interstate 70
eastbound, rammed Renwick's car at the parking lot of Red River Inn in Rifle, and arrested Renwick without further incident.
On April 22, 2011, Renwick was consecutively sentenced to 48 years in Colorado state prison for attempted plus 12 more for shooting at other law enforcement personnel. The escape charges from the for-profit prison in Mohave were dropped, but he has 32 years left to serve on his original two Arizona second degree murder convictions, should he be released from the Colorado prison system.
Province was apprehended on August 8 in Meeteetse
, Wyoming
, near Yellowstone National Park
, on the highway, carrying a sign reading "Casper
" and a handgun. The previous day, Province visited the Meeteetse Community Church the day prior and sang along with its congregation, and one worshipper stated that Province looked like the many local hitchhikers. The pastor of the church paid Province $40 and gave him a jacket for mowing the church lawn. Province told a news reporter that he escaped from prison because he did not want to die there.
McCluskey and Welch were believed to have headed to Canada
and were seen in Billings, Montana
on August 6. At 7 p.m. on August 19, 2010, a tactical-response team of Apache County, Arizona
sheriff's deputies, with the help of the Arizona Department of Public Safety and United States Forest Service
, captured the duo at a campground near Sunrise Ski Resort. A U.S. Forest Service employee approached what he thought was an unattended fire, found a Nissan Sentra
backed into trees, and discovered through its license plate that the license plate was stolen from a vehicle near where the elderly couple was murdered in New Mexico. The Forest Service reported the sighting to the United States Marshals command post in Phoenix
.
in Albuquerque accused McCluskey, Province, and Welch of carjacking
vacationing Tecumseh, Oklahoma
couple Gary and Linda Haas, their pickup truck, and trailer at an Interstate 40
rest stop in Quay County, New Mexico
, killing the Haases in their trailer while between Santa Rosa, New Mexico
and Tucumcari, New Mexico
, driving the truck to a remote farm near Colonias in Guadalupe County, New Mexico
, and abandoning and burning the trailer with the remains of the murder victims still inside. The escapees all face charges of escaping prison, and Welch faces charges of assisting their escape. McCluskey's mother Claudia Washburn and ex-wife Diana Joy Glattfelder were both arrested on suspicion of aiding the escape additionally. All the fugitives were booked into county jails locally where they were captured; McCluskey and Welch were reported to be in solitary confinement
.
On August 10, Province signed a waiver of extradition and declined to have a public defender. In Albuquerque, a federal grand jury on September 30 indicted McCluskey, Province, and Welch on capital murder and carjacking charges related to the deaths of the Gary and Linda Haas, and federal magistrate W. Daniel Schneider signed on October 25 an extradition order to New Mexico for the three. Mohave County judge Steven Conn on December 17 denied a motion by Province's attorney Ron Gilleo to hold Province's trial outside the county, ruling that despite negative media coverage there can be a fair jury locally.
In Maricopa County
Superior Court, Claudia Washburn pled guilty to hindering prosecution on November 24 and admitted as part of a plea deal that she supplied money through a third party to her son McCluskey. On January 7, 2011, Washburn was sentenced to seven months in prison. McCluskey's ex-wife Glattfelder pled guilty to attempting to hinder prosecution on November 30 and also faces sentencing on January 7.
After the capture, Arizona moved 148 Kingman inmates to other prisons and further restricted which inmates would reside in minimum- and medium-security prisons. Although Management & Training Corporation (MTC) founder Robert L. Marquardt claimed that this was the "first major glitch" of the corporation, in fact MTC experienced at least a dozen prior escapes in four other states and many riots and murders in five states and Canada. Mohave County, Arizona sent MTC a bill of $23,587.68 related to pursuing and capturing the fugitives.
Terry Goddard
, Arizona Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2010
challenging incumbent Republican governor Jan Brewer
, stated in response to the escape: "The Brewer administration has consistently promoted private over public prisons, in spite of the public safety risk. The escape of these two violent offenders makes it clear how dangerous this policy has been."
Prison escape
A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
from the Kingman Arizona State Prison, a for-profit medium security prison, owned by the Mohave County Industrial Development Authority and operated by Utah's Management & Training Corporation. A female accomplice named Casslyn Welch, who was engaged to McCluskey, assisted the escape. In the next three weeks, local law enforcement captured Province in Wyoming, and Renwick in Colorado, and finally Welch and McCluskey in Arizona.
Escape and captures
Three inmates, Tracy Alan Province (born September 18, 1967), Daniel Kelly Renwick (born August 10, 1973), and John Charles McCluskey (born February 27, 1965), were all convicted of violent crimes. Province was serving a life sentence for murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and armed robbery, Renwick was serving two consecutive 22-year terms for two murders, and McCluskey was serving 15 years for attempted second-degree murder and other crimes. They escaped the prison with the help of female accomplice Casslyn Mae Welch (born July 21, 1966), a first cousin and fiancée of McCluskey who was on his visitation list and a resident of Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, In June, Welch was arrested outside the Kingman prison under accusations she tried to smuggle drugs in the prison. She drove a blue 1996 Chrysler Concorde
Chrysler Concorde
The Chrysler Concorde was a large four-door, full-size, front wheel drive sedan produced by Chrysler from 1993 to 2004. It replaced the Chrysler Fifth Avenue on the lineup. One of Chrysler's 3 original Chrysler LH platform models derived from the American Motors/Renault-designed Eagle Premier, it...
to the prison and threw small bolt cutters and lineman's pliers over a chain-linked fence to the three prisoners. The inmates cut a hole in the fence, abandoned the tools, and escaped. Alarms went off without response around 9 p.m. local time related to the fence breaching activity. Having separated from the other three, Renwick fled in the getaway car. McCluskey, Province, and Welch walked to Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in Arizona
Interstate 40 is an east–west Interstate Highway that has a section in the U.S. state of Arizona connecting sections in California to New Mexico. It enters Arizona from the west at a crossing of the Colorado River southwest of Kingman...
, hijacked a semi-trailer truck stopped along a ramp, forced the drivers to the back, and left the truck in Flagstaff.
At 12:47 a.m. on August 1 in Rifle
Rifle, Colorado
The City of Rifle is a Home Rule Municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 6,769 at the 2000 census. Rifle is a regional center of the cattle ranching industry located along Interstate 70 and the Colorado River just east of the Roan Cliffs, which dominate the...
, Colorado, approximately 670 miles (1,078.3 km) from the prison, Rewick was arrested. A sheriff's deputy responding to a suspicious vehicle call spotted Renwick driving McCluskey's brown Chevy Blazer. Renwick fired a gun at a police car that had joined the chase after the officer activated emergency lights. Along with the deputy's cruiser, the officer gave chase on Interstate 70
Interstate 70 in Colorado
Interstate 70 is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from Cove Fort, Utah to Baltimore, Maryland. In Colorado, the highway traverses an east–west route across the center of the state. In western Colorado, the highway connects the metropolitan areas of Grand...
eastbound, rammed Renwick's car at the parking lot of Red River Inn in Rifle, and arrested Renwick without further incident.
On April 22, 2011, Renwick was consecutively sentenced to 48 years in Colorado state prison for attempted plus 12 more for shooting at other law enforcement personnel. The escape charges from the for-profit prison in Mohave were dropped, but he has 32 years left to serve on his original two Arizona second degree murder convictions, should he be released from the Colorado prison system.
Province was apprehended on August 8 in Meeteetse
Meeteetse, Wyoming
Meeteetse is a town in Park County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 351 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Meeteetse is located at ....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, near Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
, on the highway, carrying a sign reading "Casper
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
" and a handgun. The previous day, Province visited the Meeteetse Community Church the day prior and sang along with its congregation, and one worshipper stated that Province looked like the many local hitchhikers. The pastor of the church paid Province $40 and gave him a jacket for mowing the church lawn. Province told a news reporter that he escaped from prison because he did not want to die there.
McCluskey and Welch were believed to have headed to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and were seen in Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
on August 6. At 7 p.m. on August 19, 2010, a tactical-response team of Apache County, Arizona
Apache County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*23.3% White*0.2% Black*72.9% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.0% Two or more races*1.3% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
sheriff's deputies, with the help of the Arizona Department of Public Safety and United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
, captured the duo at a campground near Sunrise Ski Resort. A U.S. Forest Service employee approached what he thought was an unattended fire, found a Nissan Sentra
Nissan Sentra
The Nissan Sentra is a compact car produced by automaker Nissan Motors and is generally a rebadged export version of the Japanese Nissan Sunny. The name "Sentra" is not used in Japan....
backed into trees, and discovered through its license plate that the license plate was stolen from a vehicle near where the elderly couple was murdered in New Mexico. The Forest Service reported the sighting to the United States Marshals command post in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
Subsequent criminal charges
The Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
in Albuquerque accused McCluskey, Province, and Welch of carjacking
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
vacationing Tecumseh, Oklahoma
Tecumseh, Oklahoma
Tecumseh is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,457 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Tecumseh is located at ....
couple Gary and Linda Haas, their pickup truck, and trailer at an Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in New Mexico
Interstate 40, a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System, runs east–west through Albuquerque in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the direct replacement for the historic U.S...
rest stop in Quay County, New Mexico
Quay County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*86.1% White*1.1% Black*1.2% Native American*1.0% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.4% Two or more races*7.2% Other races*42.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, killing the Haases in their trailer while between Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Santa Rosa is a city in and the county seat of Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,744 at the 2000 census. It lies between Albuquerque and Tucumcari, situated on the Pecos River at the intersection of Interstate 40, U.S. Route 54, and U.S. Route 84...
and Tucumcari, New Mexico
Tucumcari, New Mexico
Tucumcari is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,989 at the 2000 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was founded.-History:...
, driving the truck to a remote farm near Colonias in Guadalupe County, New Mexico
Guadalupe County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*1.7% Black*1.9% Native American*1.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*21.4% Other races*79.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, and abandoning and burning the trailer with the remains of the murder victims still inside. The escapees all face charges of escaping prison, and Welch faces charges of assisting their escape. McCluskey's mother Claudia Washburn and ex-wife Diana Joy Glattfelder were both arrested on suspicion of aiding the escape additionally. All the fugitives were booked into county jails locally where they were captured; McCluskey and Welch were reported to be in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
.
On August 10, Province signed a waiver of extradition and declined to have a public defender. In Albuquerque, a federal grand jury on September 30 indicted McCluskey, Province, and Welch on capital murder and carjacking charges related to the deaths of the Gary and Linda Haas, and federal magistrate W. Daniel Schneider signed on October 25 an extradition order to New Mexico for the three. Mohave County judge Steven Conn on December 17 denied a motion by Province's attorney Ron Gilleo to hold Province's trial outside the county, ruling that despite negative media coverage there can be a fair jury locally.
In Maricopa County
Maricopa County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.0% White*5.0% Black*2.1% Native American*3.5% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.5% Two or more races*12.7% Other races*29.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Superior Court, Claudia Washburn pled guilty to hindering prosecution on November 24 and admitted as part of a plea deal that she supplied money through a third party to her son McCluskey. On January 7, 2011, Washburn was sentenced to seven months in prison. McCluskey's ex-wife Glattfelder pled guilty to attempting to hinder prosecution on November 30 and also faces sentencing on January 7.
Prison security issues
A state report on the escape outlined security breakdowns at the privately run prison contributing to the escape:- The alarm system falsely went off so often that prison personnel often ignored it; 89 alarms sounded during the 16 hours around the escape.
- Eight yard floodlights burned out.
- Prison guards lacked proper firearms training, and the prison lacked a proper weapons inventory.
- 75% of inmates did not have proper identification.
After the capture, Arizona moved 148 Kingman inmates to other prisons and further restricted which inmates would reside in minimum- and medium-security prisons. Although Management & Training Corporation (MTC) founder Robert L. Marquardt claimed that this was the "first major glitch" of the corporation, in fact MTC experienced at least a dozen prior escapes in four other states and many riots and murders in five states and Canada. Mohave County, Arizona sent MTC a bill of $23,587.68 related to pursuing and capturing the fugitives.
Terry Goddard
Terry Goddard
Samuel Pearson "Terry" Goddard III was the Attorney General of Arizona, from 2003 to 2011, who also served as Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1984 to 1990....
, Arizona Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2010
Arizona gubernatorial election, 2010
The Arizona gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010 to elect the Governor of Arizona. Incumbent Republican Jan Brewer ran for her first full term. Party primaries were held on August 24, 2010...
challenging incumbent Republican governor Jan Brewer
Jan Brewer
Janice Kay "Jan" Brewer is the 22nd and current Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona and a member of the Republican Party. She is the fourth woman, and third consecutive woman, to hold the office...
, stated in response to the escape: "The Brewer administration has consistently promoted private over public prisons, in spite of the public safety risk. The escape of these two violent offenders makes it clear how dangerous this policy has been."