Authorities expressed optimism on Sunday regarding the potential recapture of seven out of ten New Orleans inmates who escaped, possibly managing it by the night’s end.
According to Col. Robert Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, federal, state, and local authorities have gathered actionable information on all seven fugitives and received numerous tips on their locations.
“At this point, we are confident we possess reliable intelligence on each of these fugitives,” he announced during a news conference in the early evening. “We are actively pursuing all seven and intend to bring them to justice.”
Three who participated in the escape early Friday, which Gov. Jeff Landry described as one of the largest in state history, were captured by the end of the day, authorities said, crediting tips from the public.
Hodges said agents, officers, marshals, deputies, aircraft and drones from the FBI; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; state police; New Orleans police; and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office are on the case.
The allied law enforcement dragnet has created a “force multiplier” in the search, Hodges said. He said the seven escapees are most likely still in the state and warned friends and loved ones not to help them remain at large.
Jonathan Tapp, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans office, said, “Those people helping these inmates avoid recapture will be held accountable.”
He added: “These inmates are accused of serious crimes, and until they’re back in custody we should all remain vigilant.”
State Attorney General Liz Murrill is leading the investigation into how they escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center, which serves as New Orleans’ city jail.
“My office will do whatever it takes to determine how this happened and make sure that it won’t happen again,” Murrill said in a statement Friday. “This is beyond unacceptable, and once these offenders are back in custody, there must be real accountability.”
The escapees took advantage of broken locks to get out of their cells before they exited the facility through a makeshift rectangular hole behind a cell’s toilet and sink fixture, authorities said.
As seen in photos provided by the sheriff’s office, messages written on the wall around the opening included “To Easy Lol.”
An 8:30 a.m. Friday head count revealed the 10 were gone, officials said, and the hunt began. NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans reported that, despite its questions about the escape shortly before 10 a.m., the public wasn’t notified until 11 a.m. — after it broke the story.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said Friday that the escapees may have been helped by people “inside of our department.” By the end of the day, three employees had been placed on leave without pay pending investigation.
However, on Sunday, Landry spread blame to what he called New Orleans’ “progressive” justice system, including prosecutors who he said failed to properly charge some of the inmates with crimes that might have triggered their transfers to state facilities.
In addition, said Landry, a Republican, nine of the 10 escapees were awaiting trials that would have moved them to more secure state custody. “There is no excuse for how these cases are allegedly being mismanaged,” he said.
Landry said that he has ordered an audit of the jail and that he directed the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections to pull any state inmates from the New Orleans facility.
Tangni Noriega contributed.
