Latest news with #escapedinmates
New York Times
19-05-2025
- New York Times
Louisiana Seeks Escaped Inmates, and Answers About Their Brazen Escape
The first of the escaped inmates was chased through the French Quarter, not even two miles from the New Orleans city jail. He was caught several hours after he and nine other inmates had fled the jail through a hole in a cell wall. The second was tracked down not long after, through a call to a tip line. A third was found on the other side of the city, arrested at the end of the first day following their brazen escape. Since then, nothing. Four days into the manhunt, seven other men have continued to evade capture. Their jailbreak has alarmed and captivated New Orleans, as details have emerged about their dash across Interstate 10 on foot and a taunting misspelled message left behind: 'to easy LOL.' The escape has also brought new scrutiny on the Orleans Parish jail, a long-troubled facility with a history of poor conditions and insufficient oversight of inmates. Investigators said they had received intelligence on all of the escaped inmates, who ranged from 19 to 42 and were being held on charges including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and carrying illegal weapons. But their pursuit has resulted in dead ends and tips that have gotten the authorities close — but not close enough. 'We end up getting there just a little too late,' Col. Robert P. Hodges, the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said in a news conference on Sunday evening. Officials suggested the inmates might be getting help from friends and relatives. As the sprawling search continues, officials have cautioned residents to be on alert. They also asked them to report any possible sightings or other information about the escapees. But they said the city was largely operating normally. The jailbreak punctuated what had already been a strange and turbulent year, starting with a terror attack on New Year's Day that left 14 people dead after a man rammed his truck into revelers in the French Quarter. The attack increased the already plentiful disruptions and security precautions that come with hosting the Super Bowl. And before January was over, a winter storm dumped more snow on New Orleans than the city had seen during most residents' lifetimes. Now, with an escape that could be one of the largest in Louisiana's history, the city finds itself looking not just for the men, but also an understanding of how the inmates were able to pull it off, possibly with inside help. Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana said the jailbreak 'should never have happened' and demanded answers in the Sunday news conference. 'The public deserves to know who, what and how this happened,' he said. The jail, run by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, has been under a federal consent decree — an agreement under which officials work to meet federal standards — since 2013. Problems include overcrowding and understaffing. A federal monitor and others have also complained of lax oversight, with some areas of the jail going unsupervised for hours. The sheriff's office has said that about a third of the cameras in the jail don't work, and have cited 'defective locks and doors' — an issue that it claims to have raised with city officials and the federal judge monitoring the jail. Mr. Landry also sought to cast blame for the escape on broader failings of the criminal justice system. Cracking down on crime and violence has been a defining theme of his administration since he took office last year. 'There is also no excuse for the way these cases are currently being mismanaged by our criminal justice system,' the governor said. Some of the escapees, like other inmates at the jail, had been there for lengthy periods — in some cases, at least two years — while awaiting trial or sentencing. Jails are generally meant to hold inmates for short periods of time; prisons are designed to hold people who have been convicted and are serving longer sentences. One of the escaped men who is still at large, Derrick Groves, 27, was accused of killing two people and injuring two others during Mardi Gras in 2018. He was convicted in 2019, but the jury's verdict was not unanimous, and a new law led to a retrial. That retrial was declared a mistrial after a juror read news coverage of the case. Another trial in 2023 resulted in a deadlocked jury. Mr. Groves was convicted in a fourth trial last year, and is waiting to be sentenced for second-degree murder. The breakout happened early Friday morning. Cameras caught several of the inmates jarring open a cell door at 12:22 a.m.; about 20 minutes later, more had crammed into the cell. At the time, no sheriff's deputy was on duty in that part of the jail, and a civilian employee monitoring the cameras had stepped away for food, officials said. Three employees have been suspended without pay while an internal investigation is underway, officials with the sheriff's office said. Inside the cell, a metal toilet and sink had been torn out of the wall, and a hole had been carved just large enough for the men to squeeze through. At 1 a.m., video footage showed the men running out of a loading dock, with some of them having swapped their jail uniforms for street clothes. Nineteen minutes later, they scaled a fence, using blankets to protect themselves from the barbed wire, and ran across the interstate into a nearby neighborhood. 'These inmates are accused of serious crimes, and until they are back in custody we should all remain vigilant,' said Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of the F.B.I. in New Orleans. Officials had another warning for residents: Do not help them. 'If anybody harbors them,' Governor Landry said, 'if anybody aids them, and we find out, we will arrest you, and we will bring you to justice as well.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
New Orleans authorities confident they'll recapture 7 jail escapees still at large
May 19 (UPI) -- Authorities in New Orleans are expressing confidence they will apprehend the remaining seven of 10 escaped inmates on the loose as they increase the reward for information on the whereabouts of the fugitives. "We're confident at this time that we have actionable intelligence on all seven of these fugitives, and we hope in the coming day -- if not the coming hours -- that we have them all apprehended," Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges told reporters Sunday in a press conference. Ten detainees escaped police custody at the Orleans Parish jail early Friday, sparking a manhunt that has so far led to the recapture of three of them. A reward was offered for information resulting in any of their arrests, which was increased to $20,000 Sunday, with the FBI doubling its reward to $10,000 per inmate, while both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Crime Stoppers were each increasing their rewards to $5,000 an inmate. "We need the public's help and we cannot do it alone," Hodges said. "More importantly, if you are helping and assisting these fugitives, allowing them to remain uncaptured and not brought to justice, there will be consequences and there may be charges for you." Hodges emphasized that the recapture of these inmates occurred within the first 24 hours of their escape due to help from the public. Dkenan Dennis, 24, Kendell Myles, 23, and a 15-year-old male, have been relocated to another Louisiana state facility for their safety and the safety of others, Hodges said. The seven inmates who remain at large have been identified as Corey Boyd, 19, Derrick Groves, 27, Jermaine Donald, 42, Lenton VanBuren, 26, Antoine Massey, 32, Leo Tate, 31, and Gary Price, 21. "These are violent criminals and they escaped and they have consequences for their actions," Hodges said. FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp told reporters they "strongly believe" the escaped inmates are receiving help to evade capture. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said jail officials discovered the breakout at 8:30 a.m. local Friday during a routine headcount. It was learned that the detainees were able to exit Thursday night due to "defective locks and doors," it said. They next broke through a locked cell door at about 12:23 a.m. Friday before breaching a wall behind a toilet in their housing unit and then exiting the jail through a door at about 1 a.m., scaled a wall and fled across the interstate. Three staff members have been suspended without pay amid an internal investigation into facility operations and supervision practices in connection to the escape, the sheriff's office said. More than 200 officers with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are participating in the manhunt.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Officials increase reward for capture of escaped New Orleans inmates as 7 dangerous felons remain on the lam
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials increase reward for capture of escaped New Orleans inmates as 7 dangerous felons remain on the lam.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Search enters a third day for 7 escaped New Orleans jail inmates still at large
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — At least a dozen law enforcement agencies entered the third day of a manhunt on Sunday for seven of the 10 men who escaped from a New Orleans jail by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet. A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police confirmed in an emailed statement that the seven men remained at large Sunday. It said that the agency was unable to provide details about the scope and target of the investigation for security reasons. The spokesperson added that a multiagency task force was scouring the region for the remaining fugitives. In a separate statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on Sunday her office's 'main priority remains recovering the prisoners, protecting the public, securing and stabilizing the facility staff, and building." Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry planned a 5 p.m. news conference with law enforcement agencies to provide an update on the search. At least one of the escaped inmates was captured based on a tip from the public, according to a statement from the FBI on the social media platform X. 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 FBI. The men range from 19 years old to 42, and face a variety of charges including aggravated assault, domestic abuse battery and murder. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick warned that the fugitives are dangerous in a news conference on Friday night but also urged the public 'not to panic.' Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to get out of the Orleans Justice Center because of 'defective locks.' Hutson said she has continuously raised concerns about the locks to officials and, as recently as this week, advocated for money to fix the aged infrastructure. The Associated Press
Associated Press
18-05-2025
- Associated Press
Search enters a third day for 7 escaped New Orleans jail inmates still at large
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — At least a dozen law enforcement agencies entered the third day of a manhunt on Sunday for seven of the 10 men who escaped from a New Orleans jail by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet. A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police confirmed in an emailed statement that the seven men remained at large Sunday. It said that the agency was unable to provide details about the scope and target of the investigation for security reasons. The spokesperson added that a multiagency task force was scouring the region for the remaining fugitives. In a separate statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on Sunday her office's 'main priority remains recovering the prisoners, protecting the public, securing and stabilizing the facility staff, and building.' Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry planned a 5 p.m. news conference with law enforcement agencies to provide an update on the search. At least one of the escaped inmates was captured based on a tip from the public, according to a statement from the FBI on the social media platform X. 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 FBI. The men range from 19 years old to 42, and face a variety of charges including aggravated assault, domestic abuse battery and murder. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick warned that the fugitives are dangerous in a news conference on Friday night but also urged the public 'not to panic.' Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to get out of the Orleans Justice Center because of 'defective locks.' Hutson said she has continuously raised concerns about the locks to officials and, as recently as this week, advocated for money to fix the aged infrastructure.
