Two women escape from OCCC

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Two women inmates who were awaiting trial at the O'ahu Community Correctional Center escaped from the Kalihi facility last night.

Acting OCCC warden Francis Sequeira said the two women were being held in the women's Module 20. He said the inmates escaped at about 8:15 p.m. and were helped by at least two people who were waiting in a getaway car.

One escapee was Michelle Padilla, 27, who was awaiting trial on a charge of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug. She was described as 5 feet 8, 200 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

The other escapee was Kimberly Takata, 33, who was being held on a burglary charge. Takata is 5 feet 5, 135 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Sequeira said the two were not being held for violent crimes and were not considered dangerous. "However, at this point they are desperate and could possibly be dangerous," he said.

Sequeira said the escape was planned because the two women could not have broken out without outside help. He said someone had to help them pry a fence open along the Pu'uhale Road side of the prison.

"It looks like they made it through the side of the fence line," Sequeira said. "They managed to pry it open with assistance, they couldn't do that themselves, and managed to squeeze through."

The pair got into a black Camaro that sped south on Pu'uhale and was last seen heading west on Nimitz Highway. Sequeira said there was a woman and a man waiting in the Camaro.

Sequeira said prison officials were tipped by Hono-lulu police who said they received a call that an escape was in progress. He said guards responded immediately, but when they got to the scene the car was speeding away.

Rod Romero lives across the street from OCCC and said he heard a car door slam and then the screeching of tires. He said cars often speed past the prison and he at first did not think anything out of the ordinary was going on.

As the Camaro was speeding off, Romero said he saw the car and then he could hear many of the women from inside OCCC screaming.