DANNEMORA, N.Y. -- A corrections officer was placed on administrative leave, as announced Friday night by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, as the investigation into the Clinton Correctional Facility escape continues.
DOCCS released a short statement, and did not elaborate on why the move was made.
STATEMENT FROM DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION
A correction officer was placed on administrative leave this evening as part of the ongoing investigation into the escape at Clinton Correctional Facility. Due to the ongoing investigation, additional information is not available at this time.
Meanwhile, exactly two weeks after Richard Matt and David Sweat made their escape, the police presence in the region around the prison continues to be scaled down -- returning a sense of normalcy to many in Dannemora community.
As a retired Long Island cop who now owns more than 300 acres of North Country farmland, Mary Prial and her neighbors have been on high alert since two killers broke out of nearby Clinton Correctional Facility two weeks ago.
"I rely a lot on my animals, I have a couple of dogs that bark anytime something happens," said Prial, a Saranac resident. "Keep the lights on in the house, kind of stay extra vigilant, unfortunately I have to tell my sons to stay where I can see them right now."
"Most people don't go in and out of their property without a gun," said Jim McAuliffe, a Cadyville resident.
Since the manhunt for Richard Matt and David Sweat began, the police presence in the region evolved from early massive grid searches to now small roving patrols.
"There's been a few times where it looked like they were going to wrap this up fairly quickly, but unfortunately, that didn't come to pass," said David Ashline, a Dannemora resident.
With all roadblocks cleared, a cautious sense of normalcy has returned to the tiny village.
"Yeah, everything seems to be normal now," said McAuliffe.
"You kind of had to expect sooner or later that things were going to scale down," said Ashline.
At a Friday afternoon press conference, the Department of Corrections' Deputy Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said with the lockdown now lifted, most regular activities at the prison have resumed.
"Resumption of normal operations followed the completion of necessary physical repairs to ensure the facility can operate in a safe and secure manner," Martuscello said.
Despite the manhunt's decreased presence, authorities insist the search is active.
"A large part of our effort is now happening behind the scenes. We have dozens of investigators who are chasing down new leads as fast as they come in," said New York State Police Troop B Commander Maj. Charles Guess.
"We don't have concrete evidence they're here, we may not have concrete evidence they're somewhere else but they definitely are some place," said Clinton County Sheriff Dave Favro.
Even with life starting to once again feel ordinary, many here will continue to be wary.
"Definitely, definitely. You have to be, you never know, so yeah, that's always in the back of my mind," said Prial.
In recent days, the New York State Police Troop B commander says several hundred vacant and abandoned homes, along with several hundred miles of trails, have been cleared as the search heads into its third week.