The search for escaped inmates in New Orleans continues as a maintenance worker at a local jail has been arrested for allegedly aiding in their escape. The worker, identified as Sterling Williams, was taken into custody on Monday night after being accused of helping 10 inmates break free from the facility. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated that Williams allegedly turned off the water in a cell, allowing the inmates to remove a toilet from the wall and make their escape. Williams has been charged with principle to simple escape and malfeasance in office.
The inmates broke out of the jail on a Friday, with three being captured later that day and a fourth captured on Monday. Surveillance video showed the inmates forcing open a cell door, breaching a wall, and fleeing the building through a loading dock. They were then seen climbing over a fence and escaping into a nearby neighborhood. The escape went unnoticed until 8:30 a.m. that morning, as no sheriff’s deputy was present in the area at the time. The sheriff’s office had suspended three workers without pay as an internal investigation continues.
Sheriff Susan Hutson mentioned that the inmates may have received help from someone inside the sheriff’s office and that the office had been requesting funds for years to upgrade faulty locks on cell doors. The search for the remaining escaped inmates is ongoing, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward. In the meantime, the community remains on edge as the investigation into the escape and those involved unfolds.
