A grand jury in New Orleans has indicted Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson on 30 felony counts following an investigation into one of the largest jailbreaks in U.S. history, which occurred under her watch last year. The indictment, handed up on Wednesday, charges Hutson with malfeasance, obstruction of justice, and falsifying public records.
Jailbreak Details
The escape took place when 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail through a hole behind a toilet, scaling a barbed wire fence. They left behind graffiti reading “To Easy LoL.” The jail did not realize the inmates were missing for over seven hours, triggering a monthslong search before all escapees were eventually captured.
Prosecution's Claims
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated that while Hutson did not personally open the doors for the escapees, her refusal to comply with basic legal requirements and failure to take minimal precautions directly contributed to the escape. The 30-count indictment reflects the state probe’s findings of poor management leading to the incident.
Hutson, who lost her reelection campaign and is set to leave office on Monday, has not responded to requests for comment. Her bond was set at $300,000, and she was ordered to surrender her passport and remain in the state. Bianka Brown, the sheriff's office chief financial officer, was also indicted on 20 similar charges.
Background and Criticism
The Orleans Parish jail system has faced decades of violence, corruption, and dysfunction, leading to federal oversight in 2013. Despite tens of millions of dollars in investment and a new jail facility in 2015, problems persisted. Federally-appointed monitors had warned of inadequate staffing, lax supervision, and a rising number of “internal escapes” in the two years before the jailbreak.
State officials and some city leaders accused Hutson of poor management and criticized her for not alerting authorities promptly. Hutson initially blamed political opponents without evidence and cited faulty door locks, claiming she had sought funding for infrastructure improvements.
