Inmate arrested after attempted escape

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 20-year-old O'ahu Community Correctional Center inmate scaled a razor-wire fence and had a brief brush with freedom before being recaptured yesterday afternoon.

Marie Nero suffered serious lacerations when she climbed a fence just outside her module at 2:38 p.m. Nero was being held at OCCC on a forgery charge, said deputy warden Francis Sequeira.

Sequeira said OCCC staff was speaking to inmates in Nero's module when she managed to sneak out a door. In a matter of seconds, he said, Nero climbed over the fence and fled toward Pu'uhale Road.

Guards were notified and Nero was captured about 10 minutes later on Pu'uhale Road, he said. She was treated for lacerations and arrested on an escape charge.

Sequeira said this was the first time a female inmate escaped by climbing over a razor-wire fence.

"Usually nobody would attempt that. There's a lot of razor wire up there," he said. "It was something very gutsy. She was lucky she wasn't shot or hurt herself really severely."

Sequeira said guards did not fire any shots because of the high traffic in the area. He said he wasn't sure what led Nero to escape because she was being held on a relatively minor charge.

Sequeira added that officials will conduct an investigation, but said there's not much that can be done to prevent further escape attempts.

"If inmates decide to chance themselves to run through the razor wire and chance themselves with getting shot, that's what they do," he said.