Men who escaped New Orleans jail had hourslong head start before staff knew they were gone

Independent

21-05-2025

Nearly a week after 10 men escaped from a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a fence, five have been apprehended and five remain at large.
Authorities believe sheriff's employees must have aided the escape, and three have been suspended. A jail maintenance man is the only person arrested so far and is accused of helping the prisoners.
Here is a look at the timeline of events surrounding one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history:
May 15
At 10:30 p.m., the jail is locked down per standard nighttime rules.
May 16
About 12:20 a.m., prisoners yank open a cell door when the jail's lone guard is away getting food. The men escape through a hole cut behind a sink-toilet unit that they removed. Authorities haven't specified what tools were used to cut through steel bars or how the prisoners got them.
At 1:01 a.m., surveillance video captures the 10 men sprinting out of the jail, throwing blankets over a barbed wire fence and scaling it. Some of the men are then seen running across an interstate.
A head count at the jail generally starts around 6:30 a.m. and takes less than an hour. However, on this morning sheriff's officials are still verifying whether anyone had escaped more than two hours later, according to Jeworski 'Jay' Mallett, the jail's chief of corrections.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the jail, and Mallett say they are investigating why it took so long for staffers to identify and report that the men were missing. It's not clear exactly what time jail staff noticed the men were gone.
Around 8:45 a.m., the jail goes on lockdown. About 45 minutes later the escape is 'officially reported' by Hutson to a law enforcement task force.
Around 10:30 a.m., city and state police learn of the escape. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says she learned of the jailbreak indirectly and not from the sheriff.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., law enforcement officials hold a news conference about the escape.
Around noon, Louisiana state police say they have apprehended escapee Kendall Myles, 20, in the city's French Quarter after a brief foot chase. He was identified by the city's network of facial recognition security cameras. Myles was in jail facing charges of attempted second-degree murder and armed robbery. Officials say he had twice escaped from juvenile custody.
The sheriff says three jail employees have been suspended pending an investigation. It is not immediately clear whether any of the employees are suspected of helping with the escape. Officials also don't say if the employee who left to get food is among the three suspended.
In the evening, escapees Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis are apprehended separately in the city. Moody, 21, was being held on charges of illegal carrying of a weapon with narcotics, attempted second- degree battery and obstruction. Dennis, 24, was being held on charges including armed robbery with firearm and illegal carrying of a weapon during a crime of violence.
May 19
A fourth escapee, Gary C. Price, 21, is taken into custody in New Orleans. He was originally held at the New Orleans jail on charges of first-degree murder, domestic abuse and aggravated assault.
May 20
Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the jail, is arrested and held on $1.1 million bond. Williams is charged with 10 counts of principle to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office.
Authorities say he has admitted he turned the water off in a cell before the men slipped away through the hole behind the toilet. They say he told investigators an inmate threatened to stab him if he didn't help. Michael Kennedy, Williams' appointed attorney, says 'we have every intention of entering a plea of not guilty.'
State police confirm that Corey Boyd, 19, has been apprehended. Boyd was being held on second-degree murder charges.
Hutson, the sheriff, temporarily suspends her reelection campaign, saying, 'Now is the time to focus on security, accountability and public safety.'