Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in Boulder City in May 2022. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak requested and received the resignation of the state's Department of Corrections director on Friday over a prison escape earlier this week.
Why it matters: The medium-security prisoner's escape went unnoticed by state corrections officials for four days until he was recaptured at a transit center in Las Vegas on Wednesday based on a tip, according to ABC News.
- The inmate, Porfirio Duarte-Herrera, was serving a life sentence for setting off an explosive device outside a Las Vegas Strip resort in 2007 and killing one person.
Details: Las Vegas police said they received information Wednesday that a person who looked like Duarte-Herrera was in the area before taking the man into custody and confirming his identity, according to ABC.
- Sisolak's office ordered Nevada Department of Corrections to investigate how Duarte-Herrera was able to escape on Sept. 23, and how his absence went unnoticed.
What he's saying: "This morning, my office was informed by the Nevada Department of Corrections that an inmate was reported as missing, " Sisolak said in a statement Wednesday. "My Office later learned that upon further investigation by NDOC the inmate has been missing since early in the weekend."
- "This kind of security lapse cannot be permitted and those responsible will be held accountable," Sisolak said, adding that the situation was "unacceptable."
- Following the resignation of Department of Corrections Director Charles Daniels on Friday, Sisolak said that William Gittere, the department's deputy director of operations, will serve as its acting director.
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