My nephew Josh sent the email below. I thought you might find it interesting.
From: Joshua Morton [mailto:josh@joshuamorton.com]
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 2:43 PM
To: Amber Morton; Amy Lee; Arell Chapman; Chad Hutchinson; Darik Chapman; Dashaunn Woolard; Dee & Larry; DJ Wyrick; Eric Einhorn; Evie Morton; Grandma Chapman; Jennifer Broyles; Jerricca Hawkins; Joanna Johnson; Jody Posten; John Nye; Joy Nye; Justin Morton; Karina Pitchford; Kellie Chapman; Matt Morton; mccale; Peter Heydinger; Robyn; RT; Scott Holcombe; Stephen Harris; Stoner, Kristina; Tom Nye; Wade & Brenda Morton; Wayne Morton
Subject: Prisoner
You never know what your going to see at my job. I X-rayed a prisoner on Friday, December 9th. It's not unusual to X-ray a prisoner, we get them from the local prison frequently, but this one had an unusual story of how he hurt his leg 2 hours earlier. He was a real nice guy who I had talked with for about 25 minutes. He had this elaborate story of how he jumped out of a second story window into the back of a garbage truck. I thought he was joking at first, but the 4 corrections officers and 2 state troopers with him assured me this was no joke. His name was Lyle Harvey Curtis... here is his story.
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News
40 minutes on the loose
Friday, December 9, 2005 11:34 PM EST
Police officers from several agencies surround escaped prisoner Lyle Harvey Curtis, on ground, Friday in Blissfield after capturing him and his accomplice, William Dean Michels. - Telegram photo by Lad Strayer
- Prisoners escaped hiding under tarp in garbage truck.
By Andy Rogers
Daily Telegram Staff Writer
ADRIAN - The garbage truck that a convicted murderer and a rapist rode out of the Gus Harrison Correction Facility Friday was properly inspected by prison staff, a Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson says.
The men found a way to enter the garbage truck and hid underneath a tarp, Leo Lalonde, MDOC public information officer, told The Daily Telegram. Both men were arrested 40 minutes later in Blissfield after abducting a man and commandeering his car.
“Garbage trucks are inspected, but not the inside where the garbage is,” Lalonde explained. “They look in the cab and under the cab and that did happen (Friday).” Saying he was not familiar with other procedures, Lalonde could not explain how the two men might have had access to the garbage truck.
Both of the men who tried to escape were serving long prison sentences. Lyle Harvey Curtis, 37, has been at Gus Harrison since July 2003. He was convicted of murdering his wife in St. Clair County in 1993. William Dean Michels, 47, came to Gus Harrison in January. He was convicted of rape in Eaton County in 1997.
Lalonde said the two men rode the garbage truck out of the prison, then fled on foot once it reached the Adrian Landfill, 1983 N. Ogden Hwy.
The men worked their way out of the landfill and came across Robert Vanvalkenburg, 75, who was shoveling snow at his home on Deerfield Road. They tried to steal his car, but instead convinced Vanvalkenburg to drive them out of town.
Several people, including Vanvalkenburg's wife, witnessed the abduction and called 9-1-1, Lalonde said. A detailed description of the car and its registration information was broadcast over police radios and at about 8:10 a.m., Blissfield Police Sgt. James Novak stopped the car in Blissfield and arrested the fugitives.
Curtis, who broke his leg during the escape, is described as a “bad man” by Jean Sturtridge, the former St. Clair County prosecutor who handled his homicide case in 1993. Curtis was convicted by a jury of killing his wife, Shannon O'Boyle Curtis, on July 4, 1992 in the couple's home.
Curtis stabbed Shannon to death with her 2-year-old son in the home. The case was “fairly significant,” Sturtridge said. She described Curtis as having a checkered past with a history of violence. He was sentenced to 40 to 70 years in prison in May 1993. His earliest release date is set at July 2032. Curtis previously served one year and four months after agreeing to plea bargain for attempted larceny in a building.
Michels was sentenced to 34 to 60 years in prison in July 1997 after being convicted of two counts of criminal sexual conduct involving a weapon. MDOC records show he also plead to another criminal sexual conduct charge for a previous incident. His earliest release date is set at April 2031.
Both men were classified as “level 2” prisoners, which Lalonde described as medium security. The medium security portion of Gus Harrison is protected by double perimeter fences with razor wire and electronic detection systems. Access to the area is controlled with an armed alert response vehicle staffed by corrections officers authorized to use lethal force to prevent escapes.
The Gus Harrison facility also houses lower-security level 1 and higher-security level 4 prisoners. The maximum security classification is level 5, Lalonde said.
Lalonde said an MDOC investigation into the prison break is under way.
“We'll look at what happened and see if we need to change anything (with the garbage inspection procedure),” Lalonde said.
Curtis and Michels will be transferred to different correctional facilities and housed in higher-security quarters, Lalonde said. Local prosecutors will determine if the men will face additional charges for their attempted escape.
