Latest news with #LouisianaBureauofInvestigation
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
A girlfriend of a New Orleans inmate still at large is charged with aiding his escape
Agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and US Marshals arrested a former correctional center employee Monday who is accused of helping one of the two New Orleans prison escapees still on the run plan the brazen escape. Darriana Burton was taken into custody without incident in New Orleans and is facing a felony charge of conspiracy to commit simple escape related to her alleged involvement in facilitating Derrick Groves' escape last month, the state's attorney general said in a statement. 'Burton is believed to be the current girlfriend of Derrick Groves. We have confirmed they were in an on-again, off-again relationship for three years,' Liz Murrill said. Burton worked for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office from August 2022 to March 2023, according to Murrill. She does not have a defense attorney listed yet, according Orleans Parish Magistrate Court records, and joins more than a dozen other people already charged with helping the 10 escapees, both before and after they broke out. Special agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation discovered there was 'probable cause' that Burton 'knowingly and willfully' helped plan the escape, which saw inmates removing a sink-toilet combination unit from a cell, use a tool to saw through steel bars behind the fixture, and leave the Orleans Parish Correctional Center after midnight on May 16. During their review, investigators discovered Burton had exchanged text messages and video calls with Groves in the days leading up to the escape. 'As part of the investigation, agents reviewed inmate communications transmitted through SmartCom, an internet-based messaging and video call system utilized by inmates via facility-issued iPADs,' the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit for Burton. 'This conversation remained intentionally vague,' the affidavit said, and appeared to coordinate communication on unmonitored lines to plan the escape. 'It was implied that Burton would initiate a separate, unmonitored phone call' immediately after the SmartCom session ended, according to the affidavit, which alleged that her actions demonstrated 'intentional and active involvement in the planning phase of the escape.' Eight of the escapees have been caught – most of them in New Orleans. Only Groves, 27, convicted last October of killing two people, and Antoine Massey, 32, who has a history of escaping custody, have continued to evade law enforcement. There is now a $50,000 reward for information that leads to either of their arrests, as multiple law enforcement agencies are asking the public to remain vigilant and continue to be on the lookout for the two men. Tips from the public continue to trickle in, the US Marshals Service says. 'The joint investigation between multiple law enforcement agencies continues and we continue to follow up on Crimestoppers GNO tips and develop new leads,' Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair told CNN. 'To those that would aid or hide Groves and or Massey, you are doing a disservice to the community and you may have your own day in court with felony charges in the near future,' Fair said. Last week, law enforcement agencies searched the home where they believe Massey may have recorded a video proclaiming his innocence and asking rapper Lil Wayne and President Donald Trump for help, but since then, the manhunt has gone quiet. 'We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals. We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law,' Murrill said in the statement.
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Ex-New Orleans jail worker charged with aiding high-profile breakout
Ex-New Orleans jail worker charged with aiding high-profile breakout Show Caption Hide Caption New Orleans DA talks about prison inmates escape investigation Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams talks about his investigation into how 10 inmates managed to escape a New Orleans jail. A former New Orleans jail employee believed to be the girlfriend of escapee Derrick Groves has been arrested and charged with allegedly helping facilitate the high-profile jailbreak, authorities said. Deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Darriana Burton, 28, in New Orleans on June 9, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office. The attorney general's office said Burton was taken into custody without incident. Agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service coordinated to arrest Burton and obtained an arrest warrant on May 27. The attorney general's office said Burton was wanted in connection with the escape of 10 inmates, who fled the Orleans Parish jail on May 16. Authorities accused Burton of aiding in Groves' escape. She faces a felony charge of conspiracy to commit simple escape and was taken into custody in the Plaquemines Parish jail, according to the attorney general's office. "Burton is believed to be the current girlfriend of Derrick Groves," the attorney general's office said in a statement. "We have confirmed they were in an on-again, off-again relationship for three years." From August 2022 to March 2023, Burton was employed at the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, according to the attorney general's office. Burton was fired from her job in 2023 after she was arrested for allegedly bringing contraband into the jail and malfeasance in office. The charges were dropped by the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office in October 2024, the attorney general's office said. 'We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals. We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law," Murrill said in a statement. "I'd like to thank the US Marshals Service for executing our warrant for this woman. We will arrest all aiders and abettors, and we will eventually get Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves back to prison where they belong." 'Get it together': Fear and anger in New Orleans turn to calls for action over jail escape How did the inmates escape? Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish jail in the early morning of May 16. Authorities previously said that the group escaped through a hole in a cell wall after ripping away a toilet and sink unit. Three were recaptured by the end of the same day, and five more were caught in the weeks after. Two of them were found over 300 miles away in Huntsville, Texas, and led authorities there on a high-speed chase before they were apprehended. Antoine Massey, 32, and Groves, 27, are the two inmates still at large. Massey has made national headlines in recent weeks after two videos posted on social media showed a man purporting to be the escapee. State and local authorities said they were aware of the videos and were reviewing them. Authorities previously announced awards of up to $20,000 per inmate for information leading to their arrests. Authorities are currently offering $50,000 for tips leading to the arrest of Massey and Groves. Groves was convicted of two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder in October in connection with a shooting during Mardi Gras in 2018. Groves also has been awaiting sentencing on a manslaughter charge since October. Massey is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle, according to Orleans Parish records. There also is a warrant for his arrest in St. Tammany Parish for second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, domestic abuse involving strangulation and violation of a protective order involving battery stemming from an incident in November, the parish's sheriff's office said. New Orleans jail escape: Maps and videos show how it happened People arrested for helping escaped New Orleans inmates Authorities previously said they suspected that other people had either helped the inmates escape from the prison or helped them evade capture. At least 16 people have been arrested, including Burton, for aiding the escapees. On May 26, police announced the arrests of Diamond White, 21; Lenika Vanburen, 28; Tyshanea Randolph, 27; Patricia Vanburen, 18; Angel McKay, 41; and Lenton Vanburen Sr., 48. All were booked into the Plaquemines Parish jail, according to Louisiana State Police spokesperson Sergeant Kate Stegall. White was arrested for helping Massey while the others were accused of aiding 26-year-old escapee, Lenton Vanburen Jr. On May 23, Murrill announced that Trevon Williams, 23, was charged with 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape. Williams was already incarcerated at the New Orleans jail on unrelated charges. Also on May 23, the New Orleans Police Department said it arrested Emmitt Weber, 28, on a charge of accessory after the fact of simple escape. Weber was one of four people questioned after investigators "combed through surveillance footage, connecting crucial dots in the search," police said. Jail maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, 33, was charged with being a principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office. Murrill said Williams admitted that he complied with a demand from one of the inmates to shut off the water to a cell, which allowed the escapees to remove the toilet and sink unit. Others arrested in connection with the prison escape include Casey Smith, 30; Connie Weeden, 59; Cortnie Harris, 32; and Corvanntay Baptiste, 28. Authorities accused them of being in contact with and helping the inmates. According to a 21-year-old woman was arrested and charged with being a principal to aggravated escape and obstruction of justice in connection with the case. The news outlet also reported that Daishanae Massey, 31, was booked with being an accessory after the fact to simple escape. It was unclear whether Daishanae Massey and Antoine Massey are related. Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Michael Loria, USA TODAY
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Slidell man accused of distributing pornography arrested
SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced the arrest of a man accused of distributing pornography. Agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation were alerted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of the actions of 20-year-old Angel Gabriel Juarez. Work release inmate accused of walking off job site in Tickfaw recaptured On June 5, he was arrested at his Slidell home and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on 26 counts of distribution of pornography involving juveniles under 13. Officials with the attorney general's office also believed Juarez is an illegal alien adding that ICE placed a detainer on him. The arrest was the outcome of a joint investigation with the General Murrill's Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Unit, Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office. Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigates in-custody death The investigation remains ongoing. 'Crimes like this will not be tolerated here in Louisiana, especially from those in our country illegally. Great work by my LBI agents and all our law enforcement partners on this arrest,' said changes in carjacking case of New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams Slidell man accused of distributing pornography arrested Illinois Republican mistakes Sikh for Muslim, calls him delivering prayer in House 'deeply troubling' Johnson expands size of Intelligence panel to give Stefanik spot House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries says budget bill should be killed Zones Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Straits Times
New Orleans jail employee is arrested and charged with helping 10 inmates escape
The prisoners escaped after breaking through a wall behind a toilet. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS LOUISIANA - A maintenance worker has been arrested and charged with helping 10 inmates carry out a brazen escape from a New Orleans jail last week. The worker, Sterling Williams, 33, who was arrested on May 19 , shut off water at the jail, allowing the inmates to remove a metal toilet and sink fixture from a cell wall, the Louisiana attorney general's office said. Williams told investigators an inmate had threatened to 'shank him' if he did not shut off the water, according to an affidavit supporting his arrest. The inmates then used an unidentified tool to cut steel bars behind the cell room sink, leaving behind a hole in the wall just big enough to crawl through. The inmates left the jail through a loading dock; scaled a wall, using blankets to protect themselves from barbed wire; and ran across Interstate 10. A civilian employee of the sheriff's office, who was the only person monitoring security systems in the part of the jail where the escape occurred, had left his station at the time to get food. Williams told agents from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation that an inmate, Antoine Massey, 'threatened to shank him if he did not turn the water off'. Instead of reporting the threat, Williams told agents he turned off the water. With no water running, the inmates were able to remove the sink and toilet fixture from the wall, investigators said. Officials did not notice the inmates were missing until a routine head count at 8.30am on May 16, roughly seven hours after they had escaped, Sheriff Susan Hutson of Orleans Parish said. Four have since been captured, and a search is continuing for the remaining six, including Massey, 32, who had been jailed on charges of domestic abuse involving battery by strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation. Other escapees, who ranged from age 19 to 42, were being held on charges including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and carrying illegal weapons. Williams has been charged with one count of malfeasance in office and 10 counts of being a principal to the escape. At his first appearance in court on May 2 0, he was ordered held in lieu of US$1.1 million (S$1.4 million) bond. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Baton Rouge man charged with child porn
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A Baton Rouge man was arrested on child porn charges after an investigation. The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation started an investigation after getting a tip on April 1 that reported the upload of two videos/images containing child sex abuse material. A search warrant was executed at a Baton Rouge home on May 8. According to an affidavit, Richard McCray, 69, admitted to looking at child porn on his laptop, adding he has done it several times over a year. McCray was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Thursday on charges of two counts of child porn. Baton Rouge man pleads guilty to human trafficking, child porn charges Police arrest Baton Rouge man accused of attacking, injuring his wife What to know for race weekend at Kansas Speedway Louisiana crawfish prices are low for Mother's Day weekend Air traffic control radar screens go black at Newark Airport for second time Former Louisiana OJJ employee charged with sexual misconduct, malfeasance Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
