Four inmates escape Hopewell, Virginia minimum-security federal prison

The Bobster

Senior News Editor since 2004



Four inmates escape Hopewell, Virginia minimum-security federal prison​



By
Rich Calder


June 18, 2022 3:23pm
Updated





Four inmates escaped a federal correctional complex in Hopewell, Virginia.
Four inmates escaped a federal correctional complex in Hopewell, Virginia. AP





Four inmates are on the lam after escaping a federal prison camp in Virginia – the latest in a growing trend of lapses at low-security lockups throughout the United States.
Inmates Corey Branch, Tavares Lajuane Graham, Lamonte Rashawn Willis and Kareem Allen Shaw were discovered missing from the Federal Correctional Complex-Petersburg’s satellite camp in Hopewell, Virginia, around 1:45 a.m., the Federal Bureau of Prisons said Saturday.
Officials didn’t reveal how the detainees escaped the facility, which holds 185 men.
However, the BOP has come under fire in recent years for its lax security at similar federal prison camps nationwide, where doors are typically left unlocked and security cameras aren’t working.
An internal probe has been initiated, and the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and other law enforcement agencies have been notified
Branch, 41, is serving more than 13 years for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm. Graham, 44, is serving 10 years on drug-related charges and possession of a firearm.
Corey Branch, Tavares Lajuane Graham, Lamonte Rashawn Willis and Kareem Allen Shaw.  Corey Branch, Tavares Lajuane Graham, Lamonte Rashawn Willis and Kareem Allen Shaw all escaped the Hopewell, Virginia prison camp.AP
Willis, 30, is serving 18 years for possessing and concealing a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Shaw, 46, is serving more than 16 years for conspiring to deal heroin.
 
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