Authorities arrested corrections officer Gene Palmer Wednesday in connection with the daring June 6 escape of two inmates from an upstate New York prison, according to multiple outlets. Palmer had previously been placed on administrative leave while authorities sussed out if he played a role in the breach, which has been widely compared to the prison bust in the 1994 movie Shawshank Redemption.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the tools the inmates, Richard Matt and David Sweat, used to escape were smuggled to them inside raw meat, allegedly delivered by Palmer. But Palmer had insisted he had no idea about the tools and even passed a polygraph test on the matter.
His polygraph came up positive he had no idea hacksaw blades were in the hamburger - @dawylie2013 on #GenePalmer pic.twitter.com/s94qpoCszJ— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) June 25, 2015
According to a release by the New York State Police, the charges against the 57-year-old are, "Promoting Prison Contraband 1st Degree, a Class D Felony, two counts of tampering with Physical Evidence, Class E Felonies, and one count of Official Misconduct, a Class A Misdemeanor."
Palmer has pled not guilty. He is being held at Clinton County Jail on $25,000 bail, the release states.
According to CNN, Palmer allegedly broke the rules in terms of the access he gave to the inmates.
[Clinton County District Attorney Andrew] Wylie also said Palmer escorted the men into the catwalk area behind their cells to fix electrical breakers so the inmates could use hot plates to cook food. Authorities have said Matt and Sweat used the catwalks during their June 6 escape.
The evidence Palmer is alleged to have destroyed includes paintings made for him by Matt.
Prison guard charged with contraband and destroying paintings that Matt made for him, officials say. #PrisonBreakNY— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) June 25, 2015
Joyce Mitchell, a prison tailor, was previously arrested for her role in helping the inmates escape. She is alleged to have carried on a relationship with Sweat and ,according to authorities, talked about a murder-for-hire plot involving her husband with the pair.