LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The head of the Nevada Department of Corrections has resigned a week after a convicted murderer was able to escape Southern Desert Correctional Center.
In a statement, Gov. Steve Sisolak said he asked for the resignation of DOC director Charles Daniels. In the interim, deputy director William Gittere will serve as acting director, "effective immediately," the governor said.
Additionally, six officers with the NDOC were placed on administrative leave, Sisolak announced.
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News that Porfirio Duarte-Herrera escaped on Friday, Sept. 23 wasn't brought to authorities' attention until Tuesday, giving Duarte-Herrera a four-day head start. The governor called it "unacceptable" and ordered an investigation.
That investigation is still ongoing, Sisolak stated. In addition, the governor said he plans to convene group of advisors to look specifically into operations at Southern Desert Correctional Center. That group will review recent incidents and offer recommendations to improve.
Corrections institutions across the nation are facing severe staffing shortages and together, we are working with NDOC to look at innovative ways to increase recruitment at all facilities within this state.
— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) September 30, 2022
"My office will continued to work closely with the team at the Nevada Department of Corrections to ensure the safety and well-being of both NDOC employees and inmates within the State's care," Sisolak said. "Corrections institutions across the nation are facing severe staffing shortages and together, we are working with NDOC to look at innovative ways to increase recruitment at all facilities within this state.”
NEW DETAILS: Escaped Nevada inmate used dummy and acid before trying to flee to Tijuana, authorities say
Duarter-Herrera was recaptured Wednesday night by Las Vegas police as he tried to board a bus to Tijuana.
Fraternal Order of Police founder Paul Lunkwitz says Duarte-Herrera used a dummy as a decoy and used battery acid to corrode away the frame of his cell window. Lunkwitz says the inmate then hopped over or went through a border fence at Southern Desert Correctional Center in Indian Springs.
On top of that, Lunkwitz says the guard tower overlooking Duarte-Herrera's cell was unmanned — and had been that way for years.
