Model inmate is suspect in bank jobs

Kenneth Mitchell Casey shocked prison officials this week when police say he ditched his job driving other inmates to work, relapsed to his old bank-robbing ways and skipped town in a Ford Mustang purchased with stolen dollars.

Police say Casey robbed two Boise banks Monday afternoon and took off to Oregon, where he led Baker City police on a short car chase down Interstate 84 that ended with him fleeing through a neighborhood on foot and then trying to swim to freedom in the Powder River.

Prison officials said Casey, who had already served eight years of a possible 20-year prison sentence for two Canyon County bank robbery convictions, was a model prisoner, going from maximum to medium and finally to minimum security with no problems. He recently had been granted even more authority as a driver in an inmate work-release program.

"(Casey) had a glowing record - he completed every program he was assigned to," Idaho Department of Correction spokesman Jeff Ray said Tuesday. "He had a spotless record. There was no indication at any point to suggest he would pose a problem. He appeared to be an ideal candidate for the (Community Work Center) program. This case appears to be an absolute anomaly."

Casey was designated an escapee just before 5 p.m. Monday - more than an hour after he did not return with his 15-passenger Corrections Department van to the South Idaho Correctional Institution Community Work Center for his next scheduled run.

Boise police say that by that point, Casey had already robbed the Washington Federal Bank at Broadway and Boise avenues at 2:41 p.m. and the Wells Fargo Bank at Eagle and McMillan roads at 4:33 p.m.

Casey did not display a weapon in either robbery, police say, but gave each clerk a note demanding cash.

As Boise police were investigating the second robbery, they were contacted by correction officials, who were aware that Casey was missing and had a history of bank robbery and noticed he fit the description of the man in the first case, police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said.

Casey did not attempt to disguise his appearance during the robberies, and surveillance cameras were able to get a good shot of his face.

A short time later, investigators found the correction van parked at 42nd and Stockton streets in Garden City. The keys were in the van and it was not damaged, Ray said.

There is evidence Casey bought a car - a Ford Mustang - from an unidentified car lot nearby with cash from the robberies and took off, Ray said.

Boise police asked correction officials not to release news of Casey's escape until detectives could finish interviewing witnesses in both robberies. Detectives did not want those interviews tainted, since independent witness identification is essential to prosecute such cases, Hightower said.

Investigators also suspected where Casey might flee to, so they were willing to hold back on a public release, Hightower said.

Casey turned up at about 2 a.m. in Baker City when police pulled him over because a light was out, Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner said. Casey jumped out of the car and was found wading in the Powder River just after 8 Tuesday morning.

He is being held in the Baker County Jail.

Casey was moved to the minimum-security Community Work Center south of Boise on June 18, according to prison records. He was chosen for the job of driver because he had a valid driver's license, had a flawless prison record and was eligible for parole in less than three years, Ray said. Casey did the job for two weeks with no problems and had completed two other runs Monday before he disappeared in the afternoon.

The Community Work Center has eight vans and eight drivers, who take most of the 100 inmates in the facility to jobs around the community. Drivers have to follow certain routes through town - they must stick to main roads and come back to the work center as soon as they are done. All drivers must stay in radio contact with prison officials, Ray said.

The only minimum-security prisoners not eligible for driving jobs are sex offenders and those with a history of escape attempts, Ray said.

He said correction officials will review Casey's case to see if they can avoid a similar incident in the future.

"Anytime we have a case like this, we re-examine all our procedures," Ray said. "Public safety is our top priority."

Statesman reporter Kristin Rodine contributed to this report.

Patrick Orr: 373-6619