DANNEMORA, N.Y., June 10 (UPI) — The search for two convicted murderers who escaped from a New York prison last weekend has shifted to Vermont on Wednesday, state officials said.
In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said law enforcement received information Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, may have headed to the state.
“New York was going to be hot and Vermont … cooler in terms of law enforcement,” he said.
Shumlin advised Vermont residents to lock their doors and be cautious of their surroundings.
“This is no time to panic,” he said. “It’s a time to be sensible.”
Police have been searching for Matt and Sweat since Saturday when the two apparently used power tools to break out of the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y.
Earlier in the week, investigators questioned Joyce Mitchell, a worker at the prison who was friendly with the two men. Sources told CNN she had worked with the men, planning to pick them up after their escape, but backed out at the last minute.
Mitchell has not been arrested or charged in connection with the escape.
Though investigators have reason to believe the men may have entered Vermont, the manhunt is still on in New York. Police were searching homes in Dannemora and Willsboro, N.Y., where authorities received a tip that the men may have been spotted.
“I am confident we will find them. The only question is when,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at Wednesday’s news conference.
Police have received more than 500 tips about Matt and Sweat since their disappearance. They have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the men’s capture.
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