New Orleans Jail Worker Arrested for Allegedly Aiding Mass Inmate Escape

Reports indicate that a maintenance worker from a New Orleans correctional facility, from which ten inmates recently escaped, has been detained on suspicion of abetting the breakout, according to authorities this Tuesday.

Sterling Williams, a 33-year-old employee at the Orleans Parish Justice Centre, was taken into custody on Tuesday morning. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated that Williams is accused of aiding the inmates in their escape by turning off the water supply to a toilet, facilitating its removal by the inmates, which subsequently allowed them to make their way out.

Williams faces charges including ten counts of principal to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. He was initially booked into the same facility from which the inmates escaped, but was later moved to a different location, as per Murrill’s statement.

The significance becomes clear when we consider that three other jail employees have been suspended pending ongoing investigations. Murrill alleges that Williams has admitted to his involvement in the escape plot, claiming he was directed to shut off the water by one of the escapees.

According to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, this mass escape was undoubtedly an inside job. “Ten violent offenders don’t make their way into a pod made for two and make good their escape through concrete, rebar, and barbed wire, without there being some sort of inside assistance,” he stated.

This development follows earlier reports that the search for the six remaining fugitives is in its fifth day. The escape was discovered during a routine headcount at approximately 8:30 a.m. local time Friday. Initially, authorities reported that eleven inmates were missing, only to later realize that one had been moved to a different cell.

Turning now to the broader implications, law enforcement agencies, including the United States Marshals, the Louisiana State Police, and Probation and Parole, were promptly notified on Friday morning. The New Orleans police department was also alerted about an hour later.

Three of the escapees were recaptured within 24 hours of the jailbreak, with one being spotted in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The latest arrest occurred on Monday with the detainment of 21-year-old Gary C. Price, according to the Louisiana State Police.

Authorities are currently investigating the breach, with the belief that the inmates must have received assistance, or at least some form of tool, to facilitate their escape. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, at a May 15 news conference, stated that escape from the facility is virtually impossible without inside help.

The investigation into the breakout is still ongoing, according to Murrill. “We will uncover all the facts eventually, and anyone who aided and abetted will be prosecuted to the full extent the law allows,” she said.