New Orleans jail escape: 7 of 10 inmates still on the loose
3 escaped inmates captured, 7 still at large
Louisiana officials say that three inmates have been captured out of the 10 inmates who escaped from the New Orleans Parish jail.
Only three of the 10 men who escaped a New Orleans jail early Friday morning were back behind bars by Saturday morning, and authorities warned that one of the fugitives may go after witnesses from his murder trial.
The 10 men, some of whom are charged with murder and other violent crimes, fled through a hole behind a toilet, then scaled a wall while the one guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food, authorities said.
Jail staff didn’t notice the men were missing until 8:30 a.m. during a routine headcount, more than seven hours after the escape.
Following the brazen escape, police were focused on identifying and providing protection for people who may have testified in their cases or may be in danger. One family has been "removed" from their home, police said.
How did they escape?
What we know:
Photographs show the opening behind the toilet in a cell that the men escaped through. There were drawings and messages above the hole saying "To Easy LoL" with an arrow pointing to the hole.
The inmates used a blanket to avoid being cut by barbed wire. They ran across the interstate and into a neighborhood.
Mugshots of the 10 inmates who escaped from Orleans Parish jail. Kendall Myles, bottom right, has been recaptured. Authorities say the others may have had help from inside the facility. (FOX )
There was no deputy at the pod where the men were being held, only the civilian technician who had left to get food.
Officials from the sheriff’s office say no deputy was at the pod where the fugitives had been held. There was a technician, a civilian there to observe the pod, but she had stepped away to get food, they said.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to get out of the Orleans Justice Center because of "defective locks."
At least one of the steel bars protecting plumbing fixtures "appeared to have been intentionally cut using a tool," according to a statement from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office on Friday night.
What we don't know:
Hutson said there are indications that people inside her department may have helped the fugitives escape, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Three employees have been suspended pending the investigation.
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It’s also still unclear how some of them obtained regular clothing so quickly, officials said.
Who are the fugitives?
The escapees range in age from 19 to 42. Most of the men are in their 20s.
One of the fugitives, Derrick Groves, was convicted on two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder last year for his role in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day shootings of two men. He also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee, court records show. Law enforcement warned that he may attempt to locate witnesses in the murder trial.
Another escapee, Corey Boyd, had pled not guilty to a pending second-degree murder charge.
‘A complete failure’
What they're saying:
"This represents a complete failure of the most basic responsibilities entrusted to a sheriff or jail administrator," said Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams. He blasted the sheriff’s office for a multi-hour delay in notifying authorities and the public of the escape. "These inexcusable failures have put lives in danger."
Liz Murrill, the state's attorney general, called the escape "beyond unacceptable" and said local authorities waited too long to inform the public. She said she reached out to surrounding states to alert them about the escape.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said her agency has put "a full court effort" to respond to the escape and is working with the FBI and U.S. marshals.
"If there is anyone helping or harboring these escapees, you will be charged," Kirkpatrick added.
New Orleans jail turmoil
The backstory:
New Orleans’ jail has for more than a decade been subject to federal monitoring and a consent decree intended to improve conditions.
Security problems and violence persisted even after the city opened the Orleans Justice Center in 2015, replacing the decaying Orleans Parish Prison, which had seen its own string of escapes and dozens of in-custody deaths.
A federal judge declared in 2013 that the lockup had festered into an unconstitutional setting for people incarcerated there.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said staff is "stretched thin" at the facility, which is around 60% staffed.
Bianka Brown, chief financial officer of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, said they can't afford a maintenance and service contract to fix problems such as broken doors, lock replacements and other ailing infrastructure.
The jail contained numerous "high security" people convicted of violent offenses who required a "restrictive housing environment that did not exist," said Jay Mallett, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office chief of corrections. The sheriff’s office was in the process of transferring dozens to more secure locations.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.