Latest news with #SheriffSusanHutson
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
New Orleans jail, site of a brazen inmate escape, faces flooding and plumbing failures
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans jail that gained national attention for a brazen escape by 10 inmates earlier this month is experiencing 'significant flooding' from 'ongoing and severe plumbing failures,' the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office says. Embattled Sheriff Susan Hutson and her deputies have portrayed the bold jailbreak — one of the largest in recent U.S. history — as the result of an ailing facility in dire need of repairs and improvements such as replacing faulty locks .
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Associated Press
Men who escaped New Orleans jail had hourslong head start before staff knew they were gone
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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.'
The Independent
20-05-2025
- The Independent
A New Orleans sheriff's office staffer has been arrested following the escape of 10 jail inmates
Authorities have arrested an Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office employee following the escape of 10 inmates, the Louisiana Attorney General 's office confirmed Tuesday. Sheriff Susan Hutson has said she believes the jail break was an inside job and last week told reporters her agency had suspended three employees pending an investigation. 'It's almost impossible, not completely, but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help,' she said of the Orleans Justice Center, a correctional facility where 1,400 people are being held. The inmates escaped through a hole in a wall behind a toilet in the early hours of Friday while the lone guard watching them went to get food. This guard was not the employee arrested, Lester Duhe, a spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office, told the Associated Press in a text message. Duhe did not provide the name of the person arrested or detail possible charges. At least one of the steel bars protecting plumbing fixtures 'appeared to have been intentionally cut using a tool,' the sheriff's office stated. The inmates quickly shed their uniforms and changed into regular clothes. The absence of the inmates, many charged with or convicted of violent offenses such as murder, was not reported for hours. Four have since been apprehended and six remain at large. Since the escape, Hutson has pointed to long-standing deficiencies such as faulty locks and staffing shortages. But a growing number of state and local officials have said blame for the escape rests squarely on her for failing her responsibility to keep inmates locked up. The New Orleans City Council is scheduled to discuss the jail break with the sheriff's office and other authorities at a Tuesday meeting.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
10 inmates escape New Orleans jail: Charges against them include murder
Nine inmates - some of them charged with murder - escaped a jail in New Orleans and remain on the loose as authorities investigate whether any guards were in on the jailbreak plot. A total of 10 inmates escaped from jail in Orleans Parish at around 1 a.m. on Friday, Sheriff Susan Hutson told reporters. One inmate – Kendall Myles – was caught in the French Quarter but the other nine men remain on the run. Officials suspect the group had help from jail staff: 'We have indication that these detainees received assistance from individuals inside the department,' Hutson said. 'You can run, but you CANNOT HIDE,' Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry wrote on Facebook. 'We will hunt each of you down.' Authorities are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who provides helpful information. The release of the names of the nine escaped men: Gary C. Price, Derrick Groves, Jermaine Donald, Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Dkenan Dennis, Robert Moody, Lenton Vanburen and Antoine T. Massey comes about nine hours after they were first discovered missing during a morning headcount at the jail. Charges against them include attempted first-degree murder, according to Orleans Parish records. Louisiana State Police located and apprehended Myles in the French Quarter, a busy tourist area in New Orleans, Sheriff Susan Hutson said during a 3:30 p.m. press conference. Authorities found the inmate underneath a parked car near the Hotel Monteleone, she said. Local and state police are working with the FBI and United States Marshalls to find the remaining escapees. Jail authorities said the group began making their escape at around 12:30 a.m. a few hours after lockdown at 10:30 p.m. They began by pulling a 'defective' sliding cell door off its tracks, according to Sheriff Hutson. At around 1 a.m. they breached a jail wall by ripping away a toilet and sink. Security footage shows the men leave via a loading dock, scale a wall and then run across a nearby highway, she said. Orleans Parish Chief of Corrections Jeworski Mallett said breaching the wall near the toilets would not have been possible without outside assistance. 'It was more than just a breach of security, it was some type of help,' Mallett said. The names of the nine men on the run are: Gary C. Price, Derrick Groves, Jermaine Donald, Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Dkenan Dennis, Robert Moody, Lenton Vanburen and Antoine T. Massey. They range in age from 19-year-old Moody, charged with second-degree battery, to 42-year-old Donald charged with second-degree murder. Price, 21, is charged with attempted first-degree murder. Massey, 32, is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation, according to Parish records. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at a news conference that police notified escapees' alleged victims and went to a home to remove a family thought to be in danger. Mallett noted the prison – with 1,400 inmates – held an unusual number of 'high-security individuals' in a relatively low-security facility. Contributing: Reuters. This is a developing story. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 10 inmates escape New Orleans jail. How did they do it?
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Search continues for escaped inmates following Orleans jailbreak
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The manhunt continues for the Orleans Parish Jail escapees following what Sheriff Susan Hutson calls a security breach. Video of one of the reported escapees, Kendell Myles, being arrested in the French Quarter was captured by Dawn Uzee. 'It's shocking, disturbing and we don't feel safe,' said Uzee. She says it all happened so quickly. Louisiana law enforcement agencies searching for Orleans Parish jail escapees 'Very frightening. But we had no idea that this was escaped inmates. It was FBI and NOPD, they had someone captured in front of the Monteleone, and it appeared as if the subject had jumped out of the automobile,' said Uzee. High police presence was also steady in New Orleans East. It's where law enforcement captured Dkenan Dennis on Friday night. Anthony Jackson says that with the area being so big, he has already begun telling people to lock their doors. 'As a New Orleans East resident, we have the largest population … [the escapee would say] I can hide in plain sight. I can go by a loved one, lay low and my chances of getting caught are very slim,' said Jackson. He hopes that once all inmates are recaptured, Sheriff Susan Hutson will be able to upgrade the jail, pointing out the recently passed mileage. 'The voters made their voices heard when they voted for the mileage tax to pass. So any resources, as we clearly saw with the security breach, are that we need help and resources to tighten up the jail,' said Jackson. VIDEO: Inmates run from Orleans Justice Center As the search continues, Crimestoppers has upped the cash reward for tips leading to the capture of the remaining inmates. 'We saw success from that. We have one apprehension because of your tips, and we're just going to encourage you to see the team behind us. All information is being vetted federal, state governments. Again, with Crimestoppers you're going to be anonymous.' The reward for information leading to the capture of inmates still at large has been increased to $5,000 from the ATF in addition to $2,000 from Crimestoppers and $5,000 from the heat holding tight over the next few days Search continues for escaped inmates following Orleans jailbreak ACLU sues Nevada school district over graduation regalia policy Suspect sought in New Orleans hit-and-run investigation Student who was called racial slur on North Carolina school bus speaks out Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
