7 inmates still at large after New Orleans jail escape, officials increase reward
The inmates, some of whom are facing murder charges, escaped from Orleans Parish Prison around 1 a.m. on May 16. The men pulled a "defective" cell door off its tracks and escaped through a hole in the wall behind a toilet and sink unit, according to Susan Hutson, sheriff of Orleans Parish.
By the evening of May 17, Kendell Myles, Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis had been taken back into custody, according to Gov. Jeff Landry. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are still working to find Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen, Antoine T. Massey and Gary C. Price.
"The job is NOT finished!" Landry said in a social media post.
The city of New Orleans and its police department urged residents and visitors to stay vigilant during the manhunt and report any suspicious activity, WDSU reported. The reward for information leading to an arrest has increased to $12,000, according to the Louisiana State Police.
Orleans Parish Chief of Corrections Jeworski Mallett said the inmates couldn't have breached the wall near the toilets without outside assistance.
'It was more than just a breach of security, it was some type of help,' Mallett said.
Security footage captured the men tampering with a cell door, fleeing via a loading dock and running across a highway. Hutson said a jail employee saw the men escaping through surveillance and failed to report it. "We have indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department," Hutson said.
The jail housed 1,400 inmates including several "high security" prisoners convicted of violent crimes who required a 'restrictive housing environment that did not exist,' Mallett told PBS.
At least three of the escaped inmates are charged with murder or attempted murder, according to parish records.
Myles, Moody and Dennis ‒ the three recaptured inmates ‒ were awaiting trial on various felony charges, including attempted murder, armed robberies, aggravated assault, battery, extortion, illegally carrying weapons and illegal drug possession offenses, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office inmate records.
Price, 21, is charged with attempted first-degree murder. Donald, 42, is charged with second-degree murder. Massey, 32, is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation, according to Parish records.
It is unclear what additional charges the inmates might face following their escape.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Jonathan Limehouse, Karissa Waddick and Michael Loria, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 7 inmates still at large after New Orleans jailbreak, reward increased
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