The man accused in the kidnapping plot of late-night talk show host David Letterman’s infant son escaped along with another inmate from Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge Friday afternoon.
Authorities are looking for Kelly Allen Frank, 45, and John Willcutt, 22, who were discovered missing around 4:20 p.m.
Frank was arrested in an alleged 2005 plot to abduct CBS Late Show host David Letterman’s son and the child’s nanny in Teton County. That charge was later dismissed and Frank was sentenced to 10 years in state prison on a lesser charge for overcharging the talk show host for painting work at his ranch.
The inmates, who were outside the prison on a work detail at the time, may have used a prison vehicle to escape from the prison grounds, according to Warden Mike Mahoney.
found by Aric Mackey who adds:
Lets review…
1. They provided the inmates with a vehicle, gas, etc
2. They let the inmates work outside the fence
3. They let the inmates work unsupervised
4. They didn’t notice they were missing until 4:20pm… so they had a almost 8 hour window to escape
The wardens response…
“…the inmates …. only have three to five years left to serve on their sentences”
I guess its ok then. No big deal, back to their donuts and coffee.
You can get 10 years in state prison on for overcharging for painting work? And Paris only gets 45 days for violating probation for a DUI?
On a side note…
I can’t recall the details of the case/trial, but did the guy accept 10 years as part of a plea agreement to avoid the kidnapping-related charges? If not, does the length of the sentence for “overcharging” seem odd to anyone else?
“Montana Boneheads”? Who’s writing the captions today?
Imagine: Two years ago a disgruntled, less than average intelligence (my bet) employee comes up with an idea to kidnap Letterman’s kid. (Something like this…I’m going to kidnap Letterman’s kid today…big bucks…no wammies). He plea’s to some lesser charge and is given 10 years, with parole in 3 to 5. He’s a model prisoner, just a little slow. Never has been a real threat to anyone…just a little slow. A couple of years left and he’s a footnote in history.
Being a little show, this less than average intelligence “Bonehead” takes an opportunity to drive away while on “trustee status”. Thousands of prisoners across the country are on “trustee status”. A few of the really stupid ones run. What then?? You pick him up the next day at his’ mom’s house. Charge him with escape…another ten years. Plus this real “Bonehead” has to first flat-time his original sentence prior to serving his “escape” sentence. This is a set-up for stupid people. I’m guessing the jailer wanted to do Letterman a favor.
I will bet that this 45 year old “Bonehead” will end up serving a life sentence for charging Letterman too much on a paint job. ;-} Don’t get me wrong, we are all probably better off if he does.
I’m surprised the warden didn’t just let the prisoners lock themselves up each day, like Otis would on the Andy Griffith show. 🙂
John, you just don’t understand the complexity of police work. Maybe if we had more funding we could do a better job. Those darn tax protesters are STEALING our pay!
#3 detals a nice scenerio of how to better ‘punish’ this guy for his intent to harm Letterman’s kid, but the big variable of it all is counting on the the ‘stupid’ inmate actually running off. Trusties many times have fairly wide margins of descretion. They often drive cars unsupervised in towns and you likely never knew it for example. Field crews, tech crews.. there are many groups with a decent amount of autonomy and escape is really a matter of changing their thoughts from one min to the next.
Hmmm,
No Lojack?
No GPS?
No ankle tracers?
Hmmm….
Duck soup?
It isn’t unusual for short-term inmates to be outside the fence. I took my niece to visit her husband at a county jail. State prisoners were being farmed out to county facilities to reduce overcrowding at the state prison. This particular facility housed inmates with less than a year left on their sentence.
When we pulled up to the jail, there were two people in prison garb working on a private vehicle in the parking lot — no guards in attendence, although a camera was in view. When we checked inside the jail, there were inmates moving freely inside the office area. After checking in, visitors were showed to a large rec room where we could chat and interact with inmates seated at tables.
Not unusual at all for a low security prison.
They didn’t notice they were missing until 4:20pm… so they had a almost 8 hour window to escape
Anyone else think the time of 4:20 is significant?
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Okay, kinda lame… but I just can’t believe someone didn’t post it first.
Montana also gave them a high speed limit for their getaway.
I’m from montana, and yes, these two guys are literally stupid. I know willcutt and he should have been locked up in a mental institution not prison. I don’t know kelly frank very well, but i know bob gondeiro, the guy who turned him in and from the stories i’ve heard frank is pretty stupid as well.
#1: That’s nothing. I’m from Montana, and I know that if Paris was caught with a DUI in Montana, she’d be let off with a warning.
#11 I’m from montana, and yes, these two guys are literally stupid.
Ok… I know that Montana is not the most populated state, but surely it isn’t so small that you guys all know each other…
Well, I am also from Montana, also know BILLY Willcutt (not John as stated in the story) and I have also met Bob Gondeiro.
Yes, Frank was given the 10-years as part of a plea bargain. He pled guilty to felony theft and misdemeanor obstruction, among others, in order to have the kidnapping charges droped.
My husband and I know the whole Willcutt family including Billy. I can’t imagine what happened to our young friend. All at once we quit hearing from him until we saw him in the news. We are trying to contact his parents to find out what happened. Old address doesn’t work. Can anyone enlighten us on that?
Marilyn Frazey
Would Bill or Dolly Ann Willcutt please contact us? To old and to frail to come to Montana.
Marilyn Frazey
251-765-2846
housefreau@frontiernet.net