Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bizarre Prison Love Triangle: Prison Seamstress Appears In Court As Manhunt Continues
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 15, 2015
Modified Jun 15, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 14
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 15, 2015
Modified Jun 15, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The upstate prison worker accused of aiding two inmates in their daring escape from Clinton Correctional was apparently investigated for a "sexual incident" with one of them a few months ago.
Joyce Mitchell, 51, appeared in court briefly today. She pleaded not guilty to all charges, including promoting prison contraband and criminal facilitation, and also got a new lawyer because her old lawyer had a conflict of interest. Mitchell allegedly gave hacksaw blades, drill bits and eyeglasses with lights affixed to them to Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, who orchestrated an elaborate escape through the maximum security prison's infrastructure and eventually the sewer system, exiting via a manhole on the other side of Clinton Correctional.
The NY Times reports, "Looking blank and pale and wearing a black-and-white-striped jail uniform, Ms. Mitchell spoke only when the judge, Mark J. Rogers, asked if she understood the change of lawyers. 'Yes,' she answered in a soft voice, nodding. Her new lawyer is Stephen Johnston. He declined to comment after the hearing, saying he had not spent enough time with his client."
Matt was serving a 25 year-to-life sentence for killing and dismembering his employer, while Sweat was serving a life term for killing a Broome County sheriff's deputy. Both men had very troubled upbringings.
According to NBC News, Mitchell was "investigated after a sexual incident with David Sweat in the months before Sweat and Richard Matt broke out of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, sources say. While she was being investigated for the incident, Matt allegedly charmed Mitchell into his affection." Matt is reportedly very charismatic and well-endowed, in addition to being violent and volatile.
Mitchell was allegedly going to pick up Sweat and Matt from the manhole, but supposedly got "cold feet" and decided not to go through with it. She also allegedly had planned on having the escapees kill her husband.
The manhunt for Matt and Sweat is still in full force: The Times-Union reports, "Law enforcement officers were concentrated along a wooded area three to five miles east of Dannemora along routes 374 and 3 in Cadyville, a hamlet of Plattsburgh, where they have been looking since Wednesday night... More than 800 law enforcement officers are scouring the area for the men." Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie said, "We're still doing the push on the manhunt. We're trying to exhaust that and confirm whether or not they're still there."
Wylie was also told that the manhunt is costing about $1 million a day, though Governor Cuomo's office hasn't confirmed it. What Cuomo has done is call for the Inspector General to investigate the prison break, "Capturing these killers and returning them to state custody remains our top priority - however, it's critically important to examine the circumstances that enabled these inmates to escape in the first place."
Of course, now funding cuts to prisons are being examined—cue Cuomo blame—while the manhunt itself is "hampered by State Police secrecy, inter-agency rivalries, and the disrupting involvement of Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the first day of the breakout, law enforcement sources have told The Post."
Tagged
clinton correctional
david sweat
governor cuomo
joyce mitchell
prison break
richard matt
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Legionella found in Staten Island building's water system after 2 positive cases
Residents say several people living there are members of vulnerable populations.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 6, 2026 at 1:38 p.m. ET
Legal 'loophole' helps NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman raise millions
In theory, New York's gubernatorial candidates can accept donations of up to $9,000. In practice, it’s way higher.
By
Jon Campbell
News
Legal 'loophole' helps NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman raise millions
In theory, New York's gubernatorial candidates can accept donations of up to $9,000. In practice, it’s way higher.
By
Jon Campbell
Police identify 2 men wanted for stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYC’s autumn foliage will be a fall feast this year
By
Rosemary Misdary
NY officials worry migrants will skip healthcare amid fed policy change
By
Caroline Lewis
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .