Third person charged with helping escaped New Orleans inmates
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A third person in Louisiana has been arrested and charged with helping the inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail last week, state police announced late Thursday.
59-year-old Connie Weeden is accused of sending cash via a cell phone app to Jermaine Donald, one of the 10 inmates who broke out of the Orleans Justice Center just after midnight last Friday. Weeden was arrested in Slidell, about 30 miles northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana State Police said in a news release.
The additional arrest comes nearly a week after the brazen jailbreak through a hole behind a metal toilet and as authorities continue to search for five of the inmates. The five others have been recaptured and are being held without bond at Louisiana State Penitentiary, a maximum-security facility. The escapees face an array of charges, including aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment with a weapon and murder.
Besides sending cash, Weeden was in contact with Donald by phone both before and after the escape, state police said. Weeden faces one felony count of accessory after the fact, which carries the possibility of a fine up $500 and up to five years in prison, according to the state police release.
Weeden was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center. CNN is working to identify an attorney for Weeden.
A maintenance worker with the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, Sterling Williams, 33, was arrested Tuesday. Williams is accused of 'willfully and maliciously' assisting with the jailbreak, according to an affidavit. He faces one count of malfeasance in office and 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape.
Two other people were arrested on suspicion of assisting some of the inmates after they escaped, Louisiana State Police said Wednesday. Like Weeden, they face a felony charge of accessory after the fact.
In an interview with Fox News, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill suggested Williams' involvement extended beyond the night of the escape. 'We think that it was more than just that night,' she said. 'I can't really give all the details of times and dates, but we believe this person had multiple days of involvement.'
Authorities allege Williams played a key role in the breakout by turning off the water to the toilet near where the inmates escaped. Williams said inmate Antoine Massey threatened to shank him if he didn't turn off the water, according to an affidavit.
Williams' attorney, Michael Kennedy, said the worker was turning off water to an overflowing toilet after being told to do so and he is 'fully convinced' of his client's innocence.
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections is deploying at least 10 seasoned auditors to the Orleans Justice Center this week to investigate the escape.
The audit will 'concentrate on jail operations, such as overall jail security, jail staffing and jail policy and procedures,' Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Secretary Gary Westcott said in a news release Tuesday.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry tasked the department to audit the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, to ensure they followed 'conditions necessary to ensure the safe, efficient, effective and legal operation of a jail facility,' the release added.
The last audit of the facility by the department was in 2014, according to the agency.
Landry on Wednesday issued an executive order 'mandating an immediate and aggressive response across multiple state agencies' to address the escape, which he called a 'major breach.' He called for transparency and accountability in the jail facility and elsewhere in the state.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the jail, announced Tuesday she is suspending her reelection campaign, just hours after fielding tough questions from local leaders at a tense city council meeting.
'I am temporarily suspending my re-election campaign. I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs,' Hutson said in a statement posted on social media.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams and Murrill on Wednesday visited Orleans Justice Center as part of the ongoing investigation into the escape.
CNN's Hanna Park and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this reporting.
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