Four Kinross inmates almost make "The Great Escape"

A prison tunnel at a Michigan prison was uncovered six feet from freedom.

Four inmates, including two murderers, dug a tunnel from their cell that reached beyond the fences of an Upper Peninsula prison and put them within six feet of escape, a state official said Wednesday. A guard at Kinross Correctional Facility discovered the entrance on Saturday during a routine search Saturday, said Russ Marlan, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections. The tunnel led outside the prison perimeter fence, but the prisoners hadn't dug "up" yet. "Marlin said investigators are screening phone calls, written materials and other communication the prisoners may have used to plan the tunnel job. Marlin added that detectives are particularly interested in the tools used to do the digging, which included something to burrow through the estimated eight inches of concrete leading from the cell to the outside." The story brings up visions of "Stalag 13" where the POWs often left the prison camp for some fun and excitement.