Two female inmates who were removed from their cell early Saturday morning face charges of attempting to escape from the Montezuma County Detention Center.
Laci Hankins and Whitney Williford were booked into the jail under a felony hold for attempted escape and criminal mischief for destruction of public property after an investigation concluded that they tried to cut through their cell window.
A third inmate, who had been moved into the cell about 1 a.m., wasn’t charged.
Sgt. Aris Stefanakos and Deputy Paul Meeks removed the three women from Cell 7 after Stefanakos heard a loud scratching noise and saw a shadow of a person scratching at the lower window of Cell 7 during a perimeter check at 1:30 a.m., according to an incident report from the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Jared Farnsworth and Stefanakos searched the cell after the women were removed, and conducted a body search using a metal detector because a female deputy wasn’t on duty.
According to his report, Farnsworth found the cell window was scratched out along one side less than an inch deep, the broken-off tip of a jail-issued toenail clipper, extra sheets and blankets on Hankins’ and Williford’s beds and two sets of nonissued dark-blue uniforms. The inmates had been issued red uniforms.
All three were questioned individually. A fourth inmate came forward with information about the case.
Williford initially declined to be interviewed without a lawyer, but changed their minds by the end of the day.
According to Farnsworth, the jail witness said she delivered the blue uniforms to Williford and Hankins, who then told her they needed the darker uniforms because they planned to escape that night and wanted to be less visible.
The witness also said she saw Williford using half the clipper to scratch a cut into the plastic window. The clipper broke, hurting Williford’s wrist, and Hankins resumed cutting with the other half, she said.
According to the third inmate’s statement, Hankins and Williford invited her to join in the escape, but she declined.
She said she witnessed Williford pushing on the window, trying to break it.
Hankins blamed Williford and the witness, but according to Farnsworth, there was no corroborating evidence to back up her story.
Hankins denied any involvement in the escape attempt, saying that she only had petty charges and would go home soon. However, when Farnsworth reviewed Hankins’ record, he found that she was being held on charges that included petty and felony charges.
Williford also denied any involvement in an attempted escape. She said that Hankins acquired the clippers on Sept. 25 and began scratching the window on Sept. 27.
She also claimed that she attempted to report Hankins on Sept. 27.
Farnsworth stated that jail records showed that Williford had requested a new cell, but made no official request to speak with anyone.
He also stated that video footage showed Hankins had something in her hand when she was removed from her cell prior to booking, where she had access to a toilet.
“She was left unattended for about a minute prior to being searched with a metal detector,” Farnsworth stated in the report.
“You can see her reach down her pants and make movements any reasonable person would believe is her placing something in her genital region.”
Stefanakos estimated the window could be repaired for $275, including parts and labor.