Hundreds of law enforcement officers are involved in a weeks-long manhunt for five inmates who remain at large after a group of 10 escaped from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans on May 16. Police say the escapees had inside help, leading to the suspension of three Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office employees and the arrest of a maintenance worker for allegedly aiding the breakout.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, facing calls to resign, told the New Orleans City Council on May 20: 'There were procedural failures and missed notifications. There was also intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort aided by individuals inside our own agency who chose to break the law.'
The escape occurred at around 1 a.m., with the men seen running from a loading dock. Five inmates have been recaptured: Kendell Myles was found hiding under a car in a French Quarter hotel parking garage; Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis were captured the same evening; Gary Price was caught in New Orleans East on May 19; and Corey Boyd was arrested by FBI agents in Iberville on May 20. Lenton Vanburen was captured in Baton Rouge on Monday, while Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were arrested in Walker County, Texas.
Still at large are Antoine Massey, Derrick Groves, and two others. The inmates are considered armed and dangerous, and the public is advised not to approach them but to call 911. A combined $20,000 reward per inmate is offered for information leading to their capture.
The escape involved inmates repeatedly pulling on a sliding cell door until it derailed, then removing bathroom fixtures to squeeze through a hole in the wall. Steel bars protecting plumbing had been cut with a tool. The men then used blankets to scale a razor-wire wall and fled across Interstate 10. Jail maintenance worker Sterling Williams, 33, was arrested for allegedly turning off the water in the cell after being threatened by escapee Antoine Massey.
