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"It was really just a time of terror in our community"

Residents in northern New York are breathing a sigh of relief
David Sweat reveals escape plot as prison worker goes to court 03:41

Residents in northern New York are breathing a sigh of relief now that the manhunt for prison escapees Richard Matt and David Sweat is over.

In Monroe, New York, crowds came out to support the more than 1,200 officers who searched for the inmates.

"It was really just a time of terror in our community," resident Rebecca Peve said.

Now it's back to normal, she said.

"The kids are playing in the yard and there's an overall sigh of relief for our community," Peve said.

Sweat will remain at Albany Medical Center for at least the next few days, recovering from the gunshot wounds, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. He's speaking to law enforcement and revealing some details of the pair's original escape plan and what happened over the last three weeks.

CBS News sources have confirmed Sweat is telling investigators he had a transistor radio with him and was monitoring news reports. He also had a compass with him. He told investigators he and Matt were drinking and smoking marijuana in one of the hunting cabins where they hid.

In a radio interview Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said convicted killer David Sweat told police that he and Richard Matt were originally heading to Mexico with help from prison worker Joyce Mitchell.

"They would kill Mitchell's husband and then get in the car and drive to Mexico on the theory that Mitchell was in love with one or both of them. And then they would go live happily ever after, which is a fairy tale that I wasn't read as a child," Cuomo said.

Mitchell was supposed show up in the getaway car, Cuomo said, but she never appeared the night of the inmates' escape and the men took off on foot toward Canada. He said the pair split up five days before Matt was shot and killed.

"Sweat felt that Matt was slowing him down as a matter of fact. Now we know that Matt had blisters on his feet," Cuomo said.

Sources say Matt was drunk and ill before he was shot and killed by police on Friday.

"After Matt was killed, it just felt like Sweat wouldn't be far behind," Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill said.

Mulverhill said the two men were smart. They avoided the public and didn't steal a car or break into an empty house. But on Sunday, Sweat broke that pattern.

"For whatever reason David Sweat actually just came out and just started walking down a country road," Mulverhill said, adding that it was "absolutely" a big mistake for him.

New York State Police Sgt. Jay Cook confronted and pursued Sweat, shooting him twice in the back. With him was a backpack full of supplies including snacks, maps, bug repellent and tools.

One of the men charged in connection with the escape, Gene Palmer, appeared in court briefly Monday. He has denied any knowledge of the escape and is free on bail. Clinton County district attorney Andrew Wiley said David Sweat also told investigators Palmer was unaware of the inmates' plan.

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