Authorities in Louisiana are on the lookout for the final fugitive among three inmates who made a daring escape from a prison located approximately 130 miles northwest of New Orleans. The breakout occurred on Wednesday when the trio exploited a weak section of the facility’s wall.
The escapees have been identified as Keith Eli, 24, and Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, both from Opelousas, along with Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, of Melville. According to a statement from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, the inmates managed to use makeshift tools, including sheets, to climb an exterior wall. From there, they dropped onto the roof of the building’s first floor before lowering themselves to the ground.
Tragically, Harrington died by suicide using a hunting rifle during a standoff with law enforcement at a residence in Port Barre on Thursday, as reported by The Associated Press.
Records from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office indicate that Harrington faced multiple charges prior to his escape, including nine felonies such as home invasion and aggravated assault with a firearm.
An image released by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office shows the three inmates: Keith Eli, Johnathan Jevon Joseph, and Joseph Allen Harrington.
Authorities successfully apprehended Joseph, the second escapee, the following day after a pursuit on foot.
Sheriff’s officials said a tip led deputies to a home where he was hiding out, according to the report. He surrendered after fleeing to a nearby storage shed.
Joseph, also a convicted felon, was previously charged with principal first-degree rape, along with drug and gun offenses.
The inmates escaped St. Landry Parish Jail Wednesday in Louisiana. (Google Maps)
The third missing inmate, Eli, remains missing and is charged with attempted second-degree murder.
“We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably, but we will not rest until he is captured,” St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz wrote in a statement obtained by the AP.
In May, 10 prisoners escaped a minimum-custody New Orleans jail after removing a toilet from a wall inside a cell and crawling through it.
Video cameras in the facility captured the brazen escape, with footage showing the group scaling a fence, using blankets to protect themselves from barbed wire, and running across an interstate to a nearby neighborhood where they changed clothes.
Inmates wrote messages including, “To Easy LOL” and “WE INNOCENT,” among other things, near the hole they used to flee the jail.
The last remaining fugitive, a four-time convicted killer, was arrested five months after the escape following a standoff with authorities in Atlanta.
Three jail employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Fox News Digital previously reported.
An internal investigation has been initiated, and the jail supervisory staff will be providing a comprehensive report, according to Guidroz.
