By Marie Szaniszlo
The Boston Herald
Caption: Deborah Girouard listens to evidence described by the district attorney during her arraignment in the Wrentham District Court in Wrentham, Mass., Nov. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Robert E. Klein, Pool)
BOSTON, Mass. — A 44-year-old nurse and mother of five was ordered held without bail yesterday after she pleaded not guilty to charges of taking part in an elaborate scheme to help one of the state’s most dangerous inmates escape from prison.
Deborah Girouard of Ashby allegedly told security at MCI-Cedar Junction that she had given inmate Che Sosa an eyeglass case containing three saw blades, a handcuff key and dental floss said to be capable of cutting through the Plexiglass in his cell, according to court records and prosecutors.
In her locker, authorities also found a correction officer’s uniform and badge, a wig, fake fingernails and nail polish - props to be used in Sosa’s planned break-out tomorrow from the maximum-security prison, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Rowe said in Wrentham District Court.
Girouard, a University of Massachusetts Correctional Health nurse on contract at the prison since October 2007, had also given Sosa a pair of her underwear and a cell phone she would charge for him so the two could talk, Rowe said.
“It was clear there was a relationship that had been established,” the prosecutor said. “The extent of that relationship is not known.”
Girouard also bought a knife for Sosa, but when he asked her to smuggle in a gun, she refused, and he threatened her and her family, prompting her to come forward, Rowe said.
Defense attorney Thomas Iovieno said Girouard disputes the charges and came forward voluntarily.
Sosa, 39, is serving 40 to 55 years for nine counts of aggravated rape and is awaiting trial for allegedly stabbing his former defense attorney.
Judge Warren Powers ordered Girouard held without bail, pending a Dec. 17 hearing. If convicted of delivering an article to an inmate and aiding the escape of a prisoner, she could find herself behind bars for up to 15 years.
Mark Shelton, a UMass Correctional Health spokesman, said Girouard has worked for the program since 2005 and is on unpaid leave, pending the case’s outcome.
Copyright 2008 Boston Herald