His boss at the prison called him corrupt but today police said what the Kolbe Foundation's Deputy Chief of Security Oscar Puga did was more than just corrupt - it was criminal. As we reported last night, Puga was busted in a car on Saturday night with inmates Taedron Bennett, Joseph Kee, and Harry Trapp. Police today charged Puga with three counts of contempt of judicial order and one count of willfully allowing a prisoner to escape from lawful custody. If convicted, Puga - a former senior police officer - could spend up to ten years in jail. But is what he did illegal? His attorney says no. Keith Swift was at the Magistrate's Court this morning for Puga's arraignment.
Keith SwiftReporting,
He is the prison officer accused of taking accused killers Taedron Bennett and Joseph Kee out of the Hattieville Prison on an unauthorized weekend jaunt but today - Oscar Puga was the prisoner. This is the 32 year old deputy chief of security at Kolbe being escorted by police to the Magistrate's Court this morning for his arraignment on criminal charges. We tried to talk to Puga both before and after his arraignment but he had no comment.
Oscar Puga, Accused
"Not at this time, no comment at this time. When it is time to talk, I'll talk."
Keith Swift,
You think you were set up?
Oscar Puga,
"No comment."
And while he had no comment, his Attorney Michael Peyrefitte did.
Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney for Oscar Puga
"He has been charged with willfully allowing a prisoner to escape, willful contempt of judicial order, and allowing or assisting a prisoner to escape. The defense will be based in large part on the evidence of the prosecution. Naturally at this point, as you all know, only charge sheets have been given
to us. We don't know what the basis is for those charges."
They are charges which Peyrefitte says could land Puga in jail for up to ten years.
Michael Peyrefitte,
"The most serious has to do with assisting prisoners to escape, that's the one that carries the heaviest penalty and so he is looking at some serious repercussions if indeed he is found guilty of these crimes but all charges are serious and they are just charges at this point in any event."
But Peyrefitte says Puga shouldn't have been charged criminally. He says it is an administrative matter - not a criminal one.
Michael Peyrefitte,
"But the issue I am concerned with is not the administrative aspect of it but the police aspect of it. In my view, it is not a criminal offense and what I have objection to is the fact that the police intervened on the matter, probably with their own acts to grind against Mr. Puga, and tried to piggy back on a situation so that they can get their pound of flesh. Administratively, if it is the position of Kolbe, as it is taken by Mr. Skeen and Mr. Woods, that there was no authority to do so, then let Kolbe Foundation deal with the issue. It is not a police matter at all."
Puga was released on bail of $6,000 plus two sureties of $3,000.
Puga's case was adjourned to January 30th of 2008. His attorney Michael Peyrefitte has asked for disclosure. Taedron Bennett and Joseph Kee are on remand for the double murder of Phillip and Kevin Brannon. Harry Trapp was serving time for manslaughter. The Prison's CEO Marlon Skeen told us yesterday that Kee and Bennett had been moved to the Supermax area of the prison.
