The Boston Herald
BOSTON — A Norfolk con’s plan to bust loose from a Quincy court by having his girlfriend give him a liplock – along with a handcuff key – fell flat when jailhouse snoops caught on to the plot, officials said.
James N. Miller, serving time in the Norfolk House of Correction for heroin possession, hatched the escape ploy during a taped phone call with his girlfriend, Theresa Fougere, Norfolk Sheriff Michael Bellotti said.
Fougere, 46, was planning to pass Miller, 38, a handcuff key by giving him a hug and a kiss during his next appearance in Quincy District Court, Bellotti said. Miller was locked up Dec. 10 on drug charges after leading Quincy police on a car chase and slamming his SUV into a house at the corner of Beach and Marlboro streets in Quincy.
Bellotti called the foiled plot “incredibly serious.”
“This goes beyond just the stage of planning. This was close to execution,” the sheriff said. “Anytime you have these types of escape events, it undermines public safety.”
Investigators say they listened in on phone calls between Miller and Fougere and heard the pair discussing the Jan. 11 escape plot. They questioned Fougere and seized a set of handcuff keys. She was arrested yesterday by Quincy police on charges of attempting to aid a felon to escape, conspiracy and attempting to commit a crime, said Bellotti spokesman David Weber. She was held without bail on a probation violation and was slapped with a $2,500 bail for the escape-related charges.
Miller faces charges of attempted escape and conspiracy.
Bellotti said the case highlights the benefits of taping inmate phone calls. While investigators can’t listen to every call, Bellotti said in this case, “intelligence” gathered by jail officials led them to listen in on Miller’s calls.
“We will continue to aggressively monitor all inmate communications that we are entitled to monitor under the law to ensure that the public remains safe,” Bellotti said.
Copyright 2008 The Boston Herald