Three more of the 10 prisoners who escaped from the Orleans Parish jail earlier this month have been caught, bringing the total number of prisoners caught to eight. This is a big step forward for the police. Louisiana State Police reported the arrests on May 26. They said that the quick progress was due to good cooperation between local, state, and federal agencies.
The three new prisoners, Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate, and Jermaine Donald, were caught in two different states. Vanburen, 26, was caught by Baton Rouge police in Louisiana. Tate, 31, and Donald, 42, were caught by the Texas Department of Public Safety in Walker County, Texas. Each is now facing extra charges because of the jailbreak.
The bold escape took place early on May 16 when the group took advantage of broken sliding cell doors and tore out a bathroom unit to make a hole. Then they jumped over a jail wall and were gone. On the same day that these three were caught, two more were caught a week later, and now these three are added to the growing list of people who have been caught again. Even with these wins, two prisoners, Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey, are still on the run. This is why the government is offering rewards of up to $20,000 for information that leads to their capture.
The study has also shown a worrying web of outside help. At least 13 people, including family members, fellow prisoners, and jail staff, have been arrested on suspicion of helping the fugitives. Due to her help with Massey, Diamond White, 21, was arrested. Six other people, including family members and friends of Vanburen, were charged with helping him.
One very troubling thing about the case is that jail workers are said to have been involved. Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker, admitted that he turned off the water to a cell at the request of an inmate. This gave escapees time to take apart furniture and make a way out. Williams is accused of misbehavior and helping the escape, but his lawyer says he didn’t know about any plan to leave jail and was only trying to fix a toilet that was clogged.
Jason Williams, the district attorney for Orleans Parish, was very worried about what would happen after the escape, especially when it came to the safety of staff. It is said that two attorneys who were working on a case of second-degree murder against one of the suspects have left the state because they are afraid for their lives. DA Williams is afraid that the event will scare witnesses and juries, which could affect the justice system in the future.
As the manhunt goes on, Louisiana officials are doing even more to catch the surviving prisoners and hold anyone responsible for helping them get out of jail. Things are still tense, and police are asking people for tips and promised to take quick action against everyone involved.
