A massive manhunt is underway as hundreds of officers search for eight inmates who are still on the run after 10 prisoners escaped from a New Orleans-area jail early Friday.
Authorities suspect the escapees from the Orleans Justice Center had help from the inside. Three employees with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office have been suspended while the investigation continues.
“There is much more than meets the eye to this investigation,” said Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson at a press conference Friday evening. “Why did it happen just right now as we’re getting ready to start this sheriff’s race? This is very suspicious. We know that they had help.”
Who Escaped and Who’s Back in Custody?
Around midnight Friday, 10 inmates broke out of the jail. Authorities identified them as Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate, Kendell Myles, Derrick Groves, Jermaine Donald, Corey Boyd, Gary Price, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis.
Police found Myles Friday morning hiding under a car in the Hotel Monteleone parking garage in the French Quarter. That evening, Moody was also apprehended, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials warned that the escapees are armed and dangerous, urging the public not to approach them and instead call 911.
Police had initially named an eleventh man, Keith Lewis, as part of the escape. However, they later clarified he had been moved to another cell and was briefly unaccounted for. He never left the facility.
How Did the Inmates Break Out?
The escape started just after midnight when inmates repeatedly yanked on a sliding cell door until it popped off its track.
They then tore bathroom fixtures from the wall and crawled through a hole in the adjacent wall.
The sheriff’s office said the nature of the escape points to inside assistance, noting that removing fixtures and cutting through metal bars would have required tools.
By 1:00 a.m., the group had reached the jail’s supply loading bay. From there, they scaled a security wall using blankets and fled across Interstate 10.
What Could Have Prevented the Escape?
Officials acknowledged that several security failures allowed the escape to happen.
The sheriff’s office told The Independent the inmates exploited “defective locks and doors” to get out. They also revealed that about one-third of the jail’s security cameras weren’t working—including three in the unit where the escape took place.
Though a surveillance technician was on duty, the inmates managed to break through a wall behind a toilet that wasn’t covered by cameras.
Sheriff Hutson said the incident underscores the urgent need for infrastructure repairs. She noted she’s repeatedly raised concerns about the sliding cell doors and estimates the facility requires over $5 million in upgrades. Staffing was also low, with the jail operating at only 60% capacity.
During the escape, the only guard monitoring the inmates’ cell pod had stepped away to get food, according to the Associated Press.
Despite being built in 2015 for $145 million and considered modern, the Orleans Justice Center has struggled with ongoing issues.
Former sheriff Marlin Gusman, in an interview with WDSU, denied leaving the jail in disrepair and accused the current sheriff of playing “the blame game.”
In 2023, federal monitors overseeing the jail reported ongoing problems including weak supervision, rising violence, fatal overdoses, and excessive force.
Did the Sheriff’s Office Delay Alerting the Public?
State officials slammed the sheriff’s office for not alerting law enforcement and the public sooner.
“Someone clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on X.
The sheriff said she learned about the escape shortly after an 8:30 a.m. headcount revealed the missing inmates—several hours after their actual escape.
New Orleans Police Chief Anna Kirkpatrick told reporters her department wasn’t notified until around 10:30 a.m., two hours after the headcount.
The sheriff’s office stated that U.S. Marshals, Louisiana State Police, and probation and parole officers were informed by 9:30 a.m., with the New Orleans Police Department notified immediately afterward through a police coordination center.
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Vikas Lalit is an experienced content writer at OTE News, covering business, economy, and international affairs. With a degree in Journalism, he combines analytical thinking with engaging storytelling to deliver well-researched updates. Vikas is passionate about uncovering underreported stories that impact readers.
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