One Green County prisoner was fleeing custody over the weekend, and another has been missing since late May. Regardless of how dangerous the Green County Sheriff's Department considered those men, the public should have been notified of their escape from custody as soon as possible.
A Huber privileged prisoner named Johnnie Phiffer was in the Monroe Clinic emergency room Friday, June 12, unsupervised for treatment for a medical condition he'd complained about earlier in the day. While in the exam room, Phiffer told staff he had seen relatives in the hospital he wanted to see. When staff went to check for visitors, Phiffer left the facility in orange jail-issued pants and a hospital gown. It was about 2:39 p.m. Friday.
The Times received a tip early Saturday morning that a prisoner might have escaped custody. A reporter checked into it, and was promised a news release in time for our next printed edition, Monday, June 16.
The information about Phiffer and a photo of him were released late Saturday night, more than 31 hours after the escape. News should have been released as soon as it was clear the prisoner had eluded custody. The Times also could have gotten the information online more quickly than it did, and steps are being taken to ensure that happens in future cases.
On Monday, Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick mentioned to the Times that another prisoner, Luis Miranda, walked away from custody May 29 and hasn't been seen since. Another Huber privileged prisoner, Miranda never returned from an unsupervised trip to Pleasant View to look for work at the career center. No news release ever was issued on Miranda, and Lt. Paul Weichbrod said he doesn't think Miranda's in the area anymore.
Miranda was in jail for failing to pay child support. Phiffer was serving time on a forgery charge. He's also a registered sex offender, with a third-degree sexual assault conviction in October 1997.
Though it took more than a day to release any information, Roderick said the fact Phiffer was a registered sex offender merited public notification of his escape. He said he decided Miranda's case didn't warrant a news release.
But any time a prisoner has escaped custody, the public should be made aware, immediately. A person fleeing from custody could pose a danger in avoiding capture, regardless of the reason for their being in jail in the first place.
This is not the first time the Green County Sheriff's Department has neglected to make public information that could cause it some embarrassment. Two summers ago, the Times wrote an editorial critical of the department because it did not make public information about deputies being involved in two separate vehicle accidents until questioned by the newspaper.
We said then that "the public should hear that information immediately, from the sheriff, the elected leader of the department."
The same holds true in this case.
A Huber privileged prisoner named Johnnie Phiffer was in the Monroe Clinic emergency room Friday, June 12, unsupervised for treatment for a medical condition he'd complained about earlier in the day. While in the exam room, Phiffer told staff he had seen relatives in the hospital he wanted to see. When staff went to check for visitors, Phiffer left the facility in orange jail-issued pants and a hospital gown. It was about 2:39 p.m. Friday.
The Times received a tip early Saturday morning that a prisoner might have escaped custody. A reporter checked into it, and was promised a news release in time for our next printed edition, Monday, June 16.
The information about Phiffer and a photo of him were released late Saturday night, more than 31 hours after the escape. News should have been released as soon as it was clear the prisoner had eluded custody. The Times also could have gotten the information online more quickly than it did, and steps are being taken to ensure that happens in future cases.
On Monday, Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick mentioned to the Times that another prisoner, Luis Miranda, walked away from custody May 29 and hasn't been seen since. Another Huber privileged prisoner, Miranda never returned from an unsupervised trip to Pleasant View to look for work at the career center. No news release ever was issued on Miranda, and Lt. Paul Weichbrod said he doesn't think Miranda's in the area anymore.
Miranda was in jail for failing to pay child support. Phiffer was serving time on a forgery charge. He's also a registered sex offender, with a third-degree sexual assault conviction in October 1997.
Though it took more than a day to release any information, Roderick said the fact Phiffer was a registered sex offender merited public notification of his escape. He said he decided Miranda's case didn't warrant a news release.
But any time a prisoner has escaped custody, the public should be made aware, immediately. A person fleeing from custody could pose a danger in avoiding capture, regardless of the reason for their being in jail in the first place.
This is not the first time the Green County Sheriff's Department has neglected to make public information that could cause it some embarrassment. Two summers ago, the Times wrote an editorial critical of the department because it did not make public information about deputies being involved in two separate vehicle accidents until questioned by the newspaper.
We said then that "the public should hear that information immediately, from the sheriff, the elected leader of the department."
The same holds true in this case.
