Latest news with #OrleansParishPrison
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
9 New Orleans inmates who broke out of jail in May plead not guilty to escape charges
Nine of the 10 inmates accused of breaking out of a New Orleans city jail by climbing through a hole behind a toilet earlier this year have pleaded not guilty to charges related to the escape on July 23, the Louisiana Attorney General's Office said. Ten men escaped from the Orleans Parish Prison in the early hours of May 16, breaching a cell wall and using a blind spot to flee undetected. The jailbreak was one of the largest and most brazen in recent U.S. history, prompting a massive manhunt that spanned multiple states and sparked immediate scrutiny over the prison's security vulnerabilities. Three men were recaptured by the end of the same day, and five more were caught weeks after the escape. The most recent inmate was captured in late June — nearly six weeks after the high-profile escape. The 10th inmate, Derrick Groves, a convicted killer, remains at large. The nine men appeared via video from the maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary, where they are all now being held, for their arraignment on July 23, The Times-Picayune/ reported. Lester Duhé, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, confirmed to USA TODAY that the nine men pleaded not guilty to escape charges. An attorney for Groves was present at the hearing but did not enter a plea on his behalf, according to The Times-Picayune/ All 10 inmates are charged with simple escape, which carries a sentence of two to five years in prison, authorities said. The inmates initially faced other criminal charges, including murder, aggravated assault, and domestic abuse. "Everyone is entitled to due process. But there's a video of these detainees running out of the jail in the middle of the night. They were not heading to court hearings," Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement on social media after the hearing. "We will continue to hold everyone accountable for the escape." Louisiana prison escape: A jailbreak, a massive manhunt and a push to fix New Orleans' broken lockup How did the inmates escape? The inmates escaped by going through a hole in a cell wall after ripping away a toilet and sink unit, according to authorities. They fled from the building by passing through a loading dock door. The group then moved along a secure perimeter road between the jail and a building under construction, authorities said. After scaling a barbed wire fence, surveillance footage captured the men running across Interstate 10 and disappearing into a nearby neighborhood, where investigators later found discarded prison clothing. The escape went unnoticed for more than seven hours after authorities discovered the men were missing from a morning headcount. Authorities found several taunting phrases and doodles scrawled on the wall above the hole, including "To [sic] easy lol" and "Catch us when you can." Authorities have said they suspected that other people had either helped the inmates escape from the prison or helped them evade capture. Since the jailbreak, at least 16 people have been arrested for aiding the escapees. Most of the alleged accomplices are family members of the escapees, according to authorities. Jail maintenance worker Sterling Williams, 33, was arrested and charged with being a principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office. Murrill previously 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. His lawyer said he did so because of a clogged toilet, not to aid in the escape. New Orleans jail escape: Maps and videos show how it happened 10th inmate still on the lam Groves, 27, is the only inmate who remains at large. New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick has urged Groves to turn himself in, saying that either way, "you will be taken into custody." He 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. On June 27, authorities arrested Antoine Massey, 33, at a residence in New Orleans, according to the Louisiana State Police. He was initially in jail on charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle. Massey made national headlines last month after two videos posted on social media showed a man purporting to be the escapee and claiming to be innocent. State and local authorities had said they were aware of the videos and were reviewing them. Contributing: Chris Kenning and Jeanine Santucci This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Orleans jailbreak: 9 inmates plead not guilty to escape charges
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Louisiana state police confirm fifth escaped inmate captured
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill talks with the media in front of the Hale Boggs Federal Building in New Orleans, May 19, 2025, after meeting with federal officials about the recent Orleans Parish Prison jail break. (David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP, File)
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
7 inmates still at large after New Orleans jail escape, officials increase reward
A massive manhunt remains underway in Louisiana on May 18 for seven of the 10 inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail, potentially with the help of jail employees. 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
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Fox News
Video shows 10 inmates escape from jail in New Orleans as manhunt continues
Newly released video shows the moment nearly a dozen inmates fled from a New Orleans jail in a brazen escape early Friday. Video cameras captured 10 inmates breaking out of a cell and running from the facility, before the group scaled a fence, using blankets to protect themselves from barbed wire, and ran across an interstate to a nearby neighborhood where they changed clothes. Officials said the video feed was not being actively monitored at the time, but it was reviewed after the inmates were discovered missing hours later. The gaping hole used by the escapees, which appeared to have been hidden behind a toilet, was in a first-floor jail cell. Inmates wrote "To Easy LOL" and "WE INNOCENT," among other things, near the large rectangular hole. It is unclear whether the opening was created by the inmates or if it was already present. Chief of Corrections Jeworski "Jay" Mallett said the hole could not have been created from the inside. "We know that this could not be removed from the inside, so we are investigating that to see exactly who entered these areas, what kind of work was done, if there was work being done and if this is an inside job," Mallett said. The escaped inmates, some of whom are charged with violent offenses, including murder, were being held in a minimum-custody site at the Orleans Parish Prison. Among the security issues identified by officials were faulty cell doors and low staffing. The jail is only at 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said. The escapees were not discovered missing until a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m. Friday. "This is an urgent and a serious situation," said New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. "Please be mindful. We know or have asked for pictures of these escapees from the sheriff's office. … We do also want to make an appeal to the public that if you see something, and you just think this is not right, don't hesitate. Call 911." The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) said one of the escaped inmates charged with second-degree murder, Kendell Myles, was found hiding beneath a car in the Hotel Monteleone parking garage. Myles was taken back to the jail by Louisiana State Police and booked again with a new charge of simple escape, according to officials. "The remaining individuals are still being actively pursued, and our deputies, in collaboration with local and state law enforcement, are working tirelessly to locate and return them to custody," according to the sheriff's office. Anyone found to be aiding an escapee will be charged as an accomplice, according to authorities. A violent offender warrant squad is actively searching for the escapees along with the FBI and U.S. Marshals. More than 200 law enforcement officers are assisting with the search. The FBI in a statement said it has "surged resources" and is offering up to $5,000 for tips leading to the arrest of any of the inmates. Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,000 reward per inmate. The escaped inmates include: Hours after releasing the names, charges and mugshots of 11 inmates, New Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson clarified that only 10 escaped and that a mislabeled inmate had been moved from a different cell in the prison and the prison's compuer system had not been updated. In a statement posted to X, Attorney General Liz Murrill said "someone clearly dropped the ball, and there's no excuse for this." "I'm in communication with Troop NOLA and @LAStatePolice Superintendent Colonel Hodges. It's all hands on deck," Murrill wrote in the post. "The first priority in any escape must be the immediate capture of the inmates and coordination with state and local law enforcement. "But that effort cannot come at the expense of timely notification to the public, which is also critical to keeping communities safe. My office will do whatever it takes to determine how this happened and make sure that it won't happen again." Hutson confirmed she did not notify any agencies other than the U.S. Marshals Task Force about the escape until 10:30 a.m. Friday. The public was also left uninformed until Friday morning. Victims involved in the inmates' cases have been notified, according to authorities. Murrill said she is calling for a full investigation. "This is beyond unacceptable, and once these offenders are back in custody, there must be real accountability," she wrote. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
