Reward increases as search for escaped New Orleans inmates intensifies
Federal and state officials have increased the reward for information leading to the arrests of seven inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail by climbing through a hole behind a toilet.
The massive manhunt for seven of the 10 escapees entered a third day in Louisiana on May 18. During a news conference, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Jonathan Trapp said he believes members of the public were helping the seven inmates elude authorities.
Trapp said the FBI is now offering $10,000 per inmate while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering $5,000 per inmate. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also noted that the Crime Stoppers award will be increased to $5,000 per inmate, which will be covered by the governor and state Sen. Cameron Henry.
"The FBI will work together to ensure that those people helping these inmates evade recapture will be held accountable," Trapp said at the news conference. "These inmates are accused of serious crimes, and until they are back in custody, we should all remain vigilant."
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 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.
At least one of the inmates was found due to a tip from the public, the FBI in New Orleans said on social media. Louisiana State Police previously said one recovered escapee was found hiding under a car in a hotel garage in New Orleans' famed French Quarter.
The inmate was arrested after a brief chase.
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. Col. Robert Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, also warned that the escapees may no longer be in New Orleans and could have traveled to other parishes or states.
Did the inmates have help?
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.
Following the incident, Hutson announced that three sheriff's office employees were suspended without pay, NOLA.com and local television station WGNO reported.
What were the inmates initially in jail for?
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.
Louisiana Gov. Landry calls for audit into New Orleans jail
During the May 18 news conference, Landry said the Louisiana Attorney General's Office will lead the investigation into the "massive jailbreak."
The governor also said he ordered the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections to audit the Orleans Parish Prison for compliance with basic jail guidelines and to remove all inmates currently in the facility.
"There is no excuse for the escape of these violent offenders," Landry said. "There is also no excuse for the way these cases are currently being mismanaged in our criminal justice system."
Landry added that he will also be issuing an executive order instructing the state's Inspector General to get an inventory of all pre-trial detainees and those who are still awaiting sentencing. The governor used one of the escapees, Groves, as an example.
"If he would have been sentenced by our court system, he most likely would not have had an opportunity to escape," Landry said.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Jonathan Limehouse, Karissa Waddick, and Michael Loria, Paste BN; Reuters