By Mary Ellen Klas
The Miami Herald
An inmate who fled Dade Correctional Friday remained on the lam on Saturday night, as questions swirled about why police weren’t immediately informed of the escape.
It appears to have taken nearly five hours before state prison officials knew that Ronald McCoy had escaped from Dade Correctional Institution — and five more hours before they alerted authorities that the convicted armed robber was still on the loose.
By then, McCoy — who was serving two life sentences — was likely far away. He may have headed to the Tampa Bay area, where he has family, investigators believe.
It was not clear Saturday why it took so long for prison authorities to call local police and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and initiate a full-blown manhunt.
By the time police got the call, McCoy’s trail had grown cold, and an orange prison jumpsuit may have looked normal among trick or treaters on Halloween night.
Multiple sources at the prison told the Miami Herald that despite McCoy’s violent history he was allowed into an off-limits area, where he was able to take advantage of broken gates and doors to make his escape, possibly as early as 8:30 a.m. Friday.
It would be almost 1 p.m. before prison officials confirmed he was gone.
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