Two inmates accused of violent crimes, including second-degree attempted murder, are on the run after escaping from a south-western Louisiana jail on Wednesday. The escape involved removing pieces of a deteriorating interior wall and using sheets to scale an outside wall, according to officials.
The third inmate who joined the breakout died by suicide after being tracked down. The escape occurred at the St Landry parish jail in Opelousas, about 130 miles north-west of New Orleans. Sheriff Bobby J Guidroz said the inmates discovered a degrading part of an upper wall area and removed mortar to take out concrete blocks, then used sheets to scale the outer wall and drop onto a first-floor roof before lowering themselves to the ground.
The two escaped inmates still at large are Keith Eli, 24, facing second-degree attempted murder, and Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, facing several charges including principal to first-degree rape. The third escaper, Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, died after a tipster led police to him; he shot himself with a hunting rifle.
This is the latest bold jail escape in Louisiana. In May, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet; all were recaptured five months later. Sheriff's spokesperson Maj Mark LeBlanc said there are no credible indications the fugitives have left the parish and warned residents to secure their homes and vehicles, as the men are charged with violent felonies and are desperate to get away.
