A human hunt has taken over New Orleans since ten detainees made a bold escape from a prison last week – one of the largest in the history of Louisiana. Authorities have already recaptured five of the fugitives, but another five remain at large.
A maintenance employee was accused on Tuesday of helping the escape, reinforcing the suspicion of investigators that the detainees had internal help in the midst of safety failures. Two women were also accused on Wednesday to help the fugitives while on the run.
Fugitives probably had help
According to the authorities, the ten detainees escaped from the Orleans Parish Center of the Parish of 1 am Friday morning.
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They removed the toilet and sink from a cell where the water supply had been turned off, cut steel bars and came out through a rectangular hole into the wall.
They left behind a scribbled provocation with wall spelling error: “to easy lol” (should be “too easy”, “very easy” in Portuguese).
After passing through the hole, the detainees left prison through the cargo sector, took the uniforms, climbed the wall around the prison, and ran down the Interstate 10 highway nearby.
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Louisiana’s Attorney General’s Office said on Tuesday that a maintenance employee helped detainees turn off the water, which allowed them to remove the vase and the sink. The worker, Sterling Williams, was arrested on Monday and told investigators that one of the detainees threatened him from stabbing if he did not turn off the water, according to a statement.
But Williams’s lawyer Michael Kennedy said on Wednesday that the investigators misunderstood the facts. According to him, a police officer had told Williams that the vase was clogged and asked him to check. Kennedy said the detainees apparently clog the vase on purpose to force someone to turn off the water, and that Williams only performed that order – without fear or conspiracy.
“It was just a tool used by fugitives to run the plan-without your knowledge,” Kennedy said in an email. He stated that Williams intends to declare himself innocent.
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At the time of the escape, an Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, responsible for monitoring security systems, had left his post to seek food, according to the authorities.
The detainees were only given as missing after a routine count at 8:30 am Friday morning.
On Wednesday, Louisiana State Police reported that two women-Cortnie Harris and Corvanntay Baptiste-were arrested and accused of helping the fugitives. Harris remained telephone contact with one of the fugitives and transported two of them to various locations in New Orleans. Baptiste communicated with another fugitive by phone and social networks and helped him get food while he was hiding. This fugitive has already been captured.
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Five of the ten men are still at large
The fugitives, aged 19 to 42, were arrested on accusations such as murder, attempted murder, armed theft and illegal possession of weapons.
Three of the detainees were recaptured on Friday; A room was recaptured on Monday and one fifth on Tuesday.
The five that are still at large are:
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- Jermaine Donald, 42 years old
- Derrick Groves, 27 years old
- ANTOINE MASSEY, 32 years old
- Leo Tate Sr., 31 years old
- Lenton Vanburen, 26 years old
Authorities have warned residents that fugitives may be “armed and dangerous.” More than 200 security agents are involved in the search, according to the Louisiana State Police.
Several agencies, including the FBI and crimstoppers, are offering rewards of up to $ 20,000 for information that leads to the capture of each fugitive.
The recaptured detainees were transferred to a “maximum state security installation,” according to the state police.
Overcrowding, lack of staff and security failures in prison
Authorities reported that they are investigating multiple security failures in prison. At least three sheriff’s office employees have been suspended without payment while an internal investigation is underway.
Even before the escape, there were already concerns about bad conditions, overcrowding and lack of staff in the prison, which is administered by the Orleans parish sheriff. The arrest has been under a federal decree of consent since 2013 – an agreement that requires management to comply with federal standards. A federal observer had already pointed out that supervision in prison was inadequate.
According to the sheriff’s office, about one third of the prison cameras does not work, and there are defective locks and doors. The detainees even broken into the door of a cell locked as part of the escape.
Xerife Susan Hutson said the prison was housing about 1,400 detainees – far beyond the capacity of the security team – and requested $ 13 million in funds from the municipal government for safety improvements and other needs. She said the arrest faces difficulties with “obsolete surveillance, deteriorated infrastructure, blind points in supervision and critical scarcity of personnel.”
