New York Prison Escape Sweat

Video shot by NBC News shows Sweat, with his right wrist encased in a brace and his arm in a sling, wearing a dark green jumpsuit and a waist shackle as he climbed out of a prison van and walked into the courthouse ahead of his arraignment.

“Yes, I do”, Sweat said when asked by Judge Patrick McGill whether he understood his legal counsel would be Plattsburgh attorney Joseph Mucia.

Sweat and fellow inmate Richard Matt led police on a massive three-week manhunt after escaping from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora in early June.

Sweat’s next court hearing is scheduled for September 29.

As per the plea agreement, pending a judge’s approval, Mitchell, 51, will serve a prison imprisonment range of about two years up to seven years. Sweat was originally sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of killing a New York sheriff’s deputy in 2002. “To the county it won’t be a great expense”.

The prisoners used power tools to saw through steel cell walls and steam pipes to reach a manhole outside the prison. Sweat could still face burglary charges in neighbouring Franklin County, where Matt was killed and where officials have said they suspect the pair broke into residences. Sweat was hospitalized for a time before being returned to a state prison. He had a bag containing maps, tools, bug repellent and Pop Tarts when he was caught.

Prison seamstress Joyce Mitchell has pleaded guilty to smuggling contraband that helped the inmates escape.

A prison guard who authorities have said unknowingly abetted the escape plot by giving the hamburger to the inmates has pleaded not guilty to a charge of promoting prison contraband.

Another prison worker accused of helping with the escape, Gene Palmer, rejected a plea deal.

Wylie is expected to address reporters later Thursday morning.