NEW ORLEANS, LA - On Friday, May 16th, 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail and days later, six of those men are still at large. According to CBS News, officials have increased the reward for the capture of the remaining fugitives.
A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police (LSP) said that the agency is unable to provide details about the scope and target of the investigation for security reasons, adding that a multiagency task force has been put together and has been scouring the region for the escaped inmates.
New surveillance video shows two inmates walking through New Orleans' French Quarter on Friday just hours after their escape. On Sunday, May 18th, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said that her office's "main priority remains recovering the prisoners, protecting the public, securing and stabilizing the facility, staff, and building."
During a news conference on Sunday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said the escape was the worst in recent state history. He said that he is ordering an audit of the sheriff's office as well as the Orleans Parish Prison, adding, "This massive jailbreak could be the largest jailbreak in the history of the state, and it never should have happened. The public deserves to know who, what and how this happened."
The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) confirmed that three jail staff members have been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Landry said that everyone in the criminal justice system needs to be held accountable, "except for the police, who seem to be doing their job."
He blamed Friday's escape on what he called a "progressive justice system," saying that "there is also no excuse for the way these cases are currently being mismanaged in our criminal justice system." He cited delays in bringing charges, prosecutions and sentencing as factors he said contribute to jail populations.
The governor said that nine out of the 10 escapees had been in the pretrial stages for years. A total reward of $20,000 was being offered for information leading to an arrest of each inmate, with $10,000 coming from the FBI, another $5,000 from the ATF, and $5,000 more frim CrimeStoppers.
In a news conference on Sunday, FBI Special Agent Jonathan Trapp said he believes members of the public may be aiding the men, and authorities will arrest anyone found aiding or abetting them.
It took hours for sheriff's officials to learn of the escape and then more time still to alert the New Orleans police, even though some of the missing inmates are accused of violent offenses and they escaped into a neighborhood less than two miles from the French Quarter. The men that escaped 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 the they fugitives are dangerous, but also urged the public "not to panic." One of the men who is still at large was identified as Derrick Groves. Reports state that Groves was arrested for the fatal shootings of Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson on Mardi Gras in 2018.
At least two of members of Robinson's family said they went into hiding following the news of Groves' escape. One of the family members said, "We didn't know what was going to happen, we didn't know how Derrick Groves felt ... whether he was coming for us, we didn't know."
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to escape because of "defective locks." She said that she has continuously raised concerns about the locks as recent as the week of the escapes and even advocated for money to fix the aged infrastructure On Friday, she said that "there's no way" for inmates to escape the facility where 1,400 people are being held "without help from the outside."
The inmates were discovered missing during a routine head count conducted at 8:30 a.m. They are believed to have escaped sometime after midnight. The sheriff said that around 12:23 a.m., the inmates yanked the sliding jail cell door off the track and at 1:01 a.m., they excited the jail after breaching a wall behind a toilet.
Photos provided by authorities showed what they said were clean cuts on metal bars behind the toilet inside the jail cells. The sheriff said that the toilet and bolts were removed using toiletry items. The inmates then scaled down a wall and ran across the interstate.
A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police (LSP) said that the agency is unable to provide details about the scope and target of the investigation for security reasons, adding that a multiagency task force has been put together and has been scouring the region for the escaped inmates.
New surveillance video shows two inmates walking through New Orleans' French Quarter on Friday just hours after their escape. On Sunday, May 18th, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said that her office's "main priority remains recovering the prisoners, protecting the public, securing and stabilizing the facility, staff, and building."
During a news conference on Sunday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said the escape was the worst in recent state history. He said that he is ordering an audit of the sheriff's office as well as the Orleans Parish Prison, adding, "This massive jailbreak could be the largest jailbreak in the history of the state, and it never should have happened. The public deserves to know who, what and how this happened."
The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) confirmed that three jail staff members have been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Landry said that everyone in the criminal justice system needs to be held accountable, "except for the police, who seem to be doing their job."
He blamed Friday's escape on what he called a "progressive justice system," saying that "there is also no excuse for the way these cases are currently being mismanaged in our criminal justice system." He cited delays in bringing charges, prosecutions and sentencing as factors he said contribute to jail populations.
The governor said that nine out of the 10 escapees had been in the pretrial stages for years. A total reward of $20,000 was being offered for information leading to an arrest of each inmate, with $10,000 coming from the FBI, another $5,000 from the ATF, and $5,000 more frim CrimeStoppers.
In a news conference on Sunday, FBI Special Agent Jonathan Trapp said he believes members of the public may be aiding the men, and authorities will arrest anyone found aiding or abetting them.
It took hours for sheriff's officials to learn of the escape and then more time still to alert the New Orleans police, even though some of the missing inmates are accused of violent offenses and they escaped into a neighborhood less than two miles from the French Quarter. The men that escaped 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 the they fugitives are dangerous, but also urged the public "not to panic." One of the men who is still at large was identified as Derrick Groves. Reports state that Groves was arrested for the fatal shootings of Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson on Mardi Gras in 2018.
At least two of members of Robinson's family said they went into hiding following the news of Groves' escape. One of the family members said, "We didn't know what was going to happen, we didn't know how Derrick Groves felt ... whether he was coming for us, we didn't know."
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to escape because of "defective locks." She said that she has continuously raised concerns about the locks as recent as the week of the escapes and even advocated for money to fix the aged infrastructure On Friday, she said that "there's no way" for inmates to escape the facility where 1,400 people are being held "without help from the outside."
The inmates were discovered missing during a routine head count conducted at 8:30 a.m. They are believed to have escaped sometime after midnight. The sheriff said that around 12:23 a.m., the inmates yanked the sliding jail cell door off the track and at 1:01 a.m., they excited the jail after breaching a wall behind a toilet.
Photos provided by authorities showed what they said were clean cuts on metal bars behind the toilet inside the jail cells. The sheriff said that the toilet and bolts were removed using toiletry items. The inmates then scaled down a wall and ran across the interstate.
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