Escapee caught The first prisoner to escape from the cellblock at police headquarters was recaptured today before dawn in Kailua.
in Kailua
He allegedly broke into
the Windward YMCA;
police find 14 defective locks
at the main Honolulu station
By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comPolice said officers responding to a silent alarm triggered by a break-in at the YMCA Windward Branch arrested Jessie Dutro, 19, and a 23-year-old man who was with him.
Police said officers cornered Dutro and the other man inside the building at 1200 Kailua Road about 3:45 a.m.
Dutro was arrested inside the building while the other man was caught after he ran into a courtyard and onto the roof of the facility, police said.
Police were holding Dutro at the Kailua substation this morning and were investigating whether they could link him to a stolen pickup truck found outside the YMCA.
Dutro escaped from the cellblock at the Honolulu Police Department main station at 801 S. Beretania St. Monday night after picking the lock to his cell door and finding the keys to a security door that were left unattended.
Police said human error and faulty locks allowed Dutro to walk out.
During a a follow-up inspection yesterday, police discovered 14 cells at the main station had defective door locks, a police spokeswoman said.
The cell doors have a main lock and an auxiliary lock.
Honolulu police Chief Lee Donohue said this morning that all 14 doors had defective auxiliary locks that are supposed to prevent the main lock from being shimmied open the way Dutro was able to with his plastic identification bracelet.
Dutro's cell door had a defective auxiliary lock, Assistant Chief Stephen Watarai said Tuesday.
Donohue said HPD has an inspection schedule for its facility and in 1994 some cell doors were replaced. He said inspections will be stepped up.
"Looking at it, I think we take things for granted when you have a new building you expect everything to last forever," he said. HPD moved into its headquarters in 1992. Donohue said even though the building is only 10 years old, parts of the building have experienced the equivalent of 30 years of wear because the police operation is 24 hours a day.
After leaving his cell Monday, Dutro walked 20 feet down a corridor past other cells and found a set of keys unattended, police said. Dutro then walked down a 30-foot corridor to a door marked "EXIT," used the single large key and unlocked the door, Watarai said.
After that, Watarai said, Dutro walked unnoticed down a 50-foot corridor and left the building via a parking garage door.
Police charged Dutro with auto theft and other crimes following his initial arrest Saturday in Haleiwa. Police said he was found in a stolen car.
Police are investigating the escape, spokeswoman Michelle Yu said. In the meantime, she said, the officers who were on cellblock duty at the time remain on the job. There are 53 adult cells and five juvenile cells at police headquarters. All 14 defective door locks were found in adult cells. The cells with defective locks were taken out of use until the locks are fixed, police said.
At least some of the defective locks were found to have broken springs, Yu said. It was unclear if there were other defects. She said replacement parts have been ordered.
Donohue said police also inspected the cell doors at the rural substations yesterday and found all of them to be working properly.