Seven inmates remain at large after 10 men escaped from a jail in New Orleans on Friday.
The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office has warned locals that the men should be considered armed and dangerous as the hunt remains ongoing for the seven who are still to be found.
Three of the inmates have so far been apprehended. Kendell Myles – who is charged with attempted second-degree murder – was found in the French Quarter, an area popular with tourists just three miles from the Orleans Justice Center, where he was found hiding under a car in a hotel garage according to Louisiana State Police.
Robert Moody was also apprehended late on Friday evening, though no further details have yet been released about his capture, and Dkenan Dennis was also caught near Chef Menteur Highway.
Officials had initially believed 11 men had escaped, but later confirmed that one had just been transferred to another cell, and investigations are ongoing into how they managed to abscond the prison, and whether any officials at the jail were involved.
Following the capture of three of the 10 escapees, Orleans Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said during a press briefing: “We have made progress. Today, three of the escapees are now in custody. We have active leads on the others.
“People are talking. We appreciate that,” she added, highlighting that one of the arrests came directly from a Crime Stoppers tip. “The second person that we got into custody was actually an actual Crime Stopper tip.”
Among the inmates still at large are Corey Boyd, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, and Derrick Groves, all of whom are charged with second-degree murder, according to officials.
Major Silas Phipps with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office revealed that some of the inmates had began tampering with a locked cell door at 12.22AM on Friday, with surveillance footage capturing them entering the cell around 20 minutes later after jarring the sliding door open.
The 10 men escaped the jail through a wall behind a toilet at 1.01AM, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson.
The group then left the property through a door to a loading dock, before scaling the perimeter by using blankets to protect themselves from the barbed wire before walking to the nearby railroad tracks and heading to Interstate 10, according to Phipps.
Officials added that the men’s orange jail uniforms were found discarded in a neighborhood near I-10, and it is believed the group were assisted by someone who works in the correctional facility.
Hutson added: “We have the indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from inside our department.
“It’s almost impossible – not completely – but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help from the outside.”
Hutson also revealed: “These folks that were able to get out did so because of defective locks on the cells.
“There’s no way people can get out of this facility without some lapse. We intend to find out exactly what happened.”
The men were discovered missing during a routine headcount at around 8.30AM the following morning, Phipps confirmed, and the United States Marshals, Louisiana State Police and Probation and Parole were notified by 9:30AM, the sheriff’s office revealed. New Orleans police officials said they were notified at 10:30AM, per reports from ABC.]
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Officials believe the men had to have received help or a tool of some kind to aid them in their escape, with the sheriff’s office confirming that three employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
At the time of the escape, there were four supervisors and 36 members of staff on shift, though no deputy was physically on the pod where the inmates were housed, and a civilian employee who had been assigned to observe the pod “had actually stepped away to grab food” and was unaware of the escape, Phipps explained.
Hutson added that the jail is in urgent need of repair and more staff, with the cost of the replacement locks alone amounting to $5.2 million.
Hutson also questioned the timing of the escape and the likelihood of insider involvement, adding during the press conference: “Why did it happen just right now, right in the middle, as we’re getting ready to start this sheriff’s race?
“This is very suspicious. We know that they had help. We’re showing you they had help. This was coordinated. There’s much more than meets the eye.”
The public has been urged to stay alert as local, state and federal law enforcement undertakes a “full-scale search operation” alongside the sheriff’s office.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick also revealed that a “group of people” had been removed from their homes and “taken to safety” following the escape – believed to be the victims of the escaped inmates – and urged witnesses of the inmates’ crimes to do the same until they are apprehended.
Kirkpatrick added: “We don’t want panic, but we do want people to be mindful,” revealing that she believes that the inmates have changed out of their prison-issued clothing with help from people on the outside.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for tips leading to the arrest of any of the escaped inmates, while Crime Stoppers of Greater New Orleans is also offering a $2,000 reward for each escapee apprehended.