Pawlenty wants razor wire around St. Peter facility

04/21/2006

St. Paul Pioneer Press
April 21, 2006

Gov. Tim Pawlenty called for security upgrades at the state treatment center in St. Peter, Minn., after four men escaped from the facility over the weekend.

Pawlenty told WDAY-AM in Fargo, N.D., that razor wire should be placed around the entire perimeter of the hospital, where convicted rapist Michael Benson and three other men escaped.

“They were designed as hospitals, but they have to be secure,” Pawlenty said Wednesday.

Benson remained at large Thursday. The other three men were quickly recaptured.

Authorities have said Benson, 42, stole a car near St. Peter. The latest credible sighting of him was Monday afternoon near Cass Lake.