Major Jailbreak Puts Louisiana in Spotlight
The story of ten prisoners escaping from the Orleans Parish jail a week ago continues to unfurl, dominating Louisiana headlines. This audacious escape has led to a snowball effect – instigating statewide probes, executive orders, multiple arrests linked to aiding the escapees, and a growing clamor for overhauling the criminal justice system. As efforts to apprehend the five remainders intensify on the seventh day, state officials identify this incident as a wake-up call to rectify long-standing shortcomings in the city’s prison framework.
A recent videotape, unveiled on Wednesday, displays three escaped inmates leisurely strolling down Baronne alley at 2:10 a.m., merely two hours after the audacious jailbreak. The video surveillance equipment, stationed near 815 Baronne, captured these men, clearly identifiable by their standard jail attire. Officials have yet not verified their exact identities.
In the aftermath of this dramatic event, Governor Jeff Landry signed an executive order that necessitates comprehensive audits and transformation of the system. The order is extensive in scope and includes: shifting all Department of Correction (DOC) inmates out of the Orleans jail; running audits of the facility’s operations; initiating reviews of case files by the Inspector General; implementing criminal court supervision by the state’s supreme judiciary and establishing a more inclusive system to trace criminal cases right from arrest to conviction.
Commenting on the situation, Governor Landry pointed out to the paradoxical scenario where the people who vowed to keep criminals imprisoned ended up inadvertently aiding their escape. Using somewhat dramatic words, he stated, ‘Orleans willingly handed the jail keys to those leaders who vowed to keep criminals OUT of jail. Sadly, it worked.’
A defense attorney, Michael Kennedy, has stepped forward to defend a jail worker involved in the case, stating that his client was used by the escapees and is wrongfully targeted by Sheriff Hutson. Asserting the innocence of his client, Kennedy mentioned his client simply followed a request to turn off the water and he was not under any threat while doing so. Despite these claims of innocence, the defendant, Williams, is still under custody, with a sizeable bond of $1.1 million posted.
Two civilians, identified as Cortnie Harris and Corvanntay Baptiste, were also taken into custody Wednesday. According to the state police, Harris played a key role in the escape by providing transportation for two of the fugitives, while Baptiste offered food and shelter for Corey Boyd, another prisoner who has since been apprehended.
The Louisiana State Police (LSP) issued a statement underlining the perils of such actions that complicate public safety by supporting fugitives. It explicitly warned that such acts wouldn’t be tolerated in the light of public safety.
Out of the initial ten, five inmates have been seized to date since the Friday jailbreak. These inmates namely Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, Gary C. Price, and Corey Boyd were caught at varying locations including a hotel garage, near Chef Menteur Hwy, in New Orleans East, and in the Iberville Neighborhood. They have all been since reallocated to Angola, the state’s maximum-security prison.
However, five of the escaped prisoners remain elusive. The fugitives include Lenton Vanburen, charged with second-degree murder and robbery; Antoine Massey, tagged as a repeat escapee with domestic abuse charges; Derrick Groves, convicted for four murders; Leo Tate, with drug-related, burglary and gun charges; and Jermaine Donald, accused of second-degree murder and battery.
Attorney General Liz Murrill toured the jail on Wednesday, echoing the urgency of crucial structural reforms. ‘Investments should be prioritized towards preventative measures like secure door locks and hinges, which could save significant costs in the long run,’ she proposed. She also declared the location the escapees used now secured and labeled a crime scene. Keeping her criminal investigation active, she issued a stern warning against aiding the escapees, urging residents to report any suspicious activities.
While this incident provided a compelling reason for Governor Landry’s legislation, he expressed his regret saying, ‘It’s sad that we needed this law.’ This bill has been unanimously passed in the House and is now en route to the Senate.
The recent escape incident also exposed gaps in advanced surveillance methods. Reportedly, the NOPD had temporarily discontinued its use of real-time facial recognition alerts. This time, the surveillance footage successfully traced the first convict but a second escapee who could have been caught escaped unnoticed, thereby revealing a crucial vacuum in the surveillance system.
Despite the chaos and fear instilled by the recent escape, this is not the first or the largest jailbreak in New Orleans’ history. Back in 1968, a record 21 inmates broke out from the Orleans Parish Prison. Even looking at national records, there have been other notable escapes, such as from Dade County Jail in Florida (1974), Utah (1968), Brushy Mountain in Tennessee (1977), New Mexico (2006), Texas (2000), and Virginia (1984). These historic jailbreaks place New Orleans on the infamous list for the second time in a century.