New Orleans Jailbreak:In a case that has rocked law enforcement in Louisiana and captivated an anxious public, 10 inmates broke out of the Orleans Parish Jail in New Orleans in the predawn hours of May 16. A handful of the fugitives were being held on murder charges, and now a massive search is underway. Three of them have already been recaptured, and the other seven remain at large — and attention is growing around how such a breach could occur and whether insiders helped pull off such a bold escape.
The Midnight Breakout
The inmates’ escape plan started around 12:05 a.m. They pulled a sliding cell door off its track at 12:23 a.m., officials said. Then, in a maneuver that could have been ripped from a prison break thriller, they took a toilet off the wall, broke through the metal bars behind it and slipped into the internal workings of the jail structure. A hole hidden behind plumbing sent them into a pipe chase — a utility line channel — area.
From there, the prisoners navigated their way to a loading dock and made their move. They climbed up and ran across an adjacent highway, disappearing into the night. It took a headcount at 8:30 a.m. for jail staff to realize something was dreadfully amiss.
Cryptic Messages and a Taunting Goodbye
When they entered the jail cell, they found the walls had been covered with handwritten taunting messages left by the escapees. One of them read “To Easy LoL,” followed by a tongue-out smiley face and a pointer at the escape hole. Another partially smudged note was seen taunting law enforcement with a dare to catch them if they could.
The graffiti was a theatrical flourish to an already humiliating moment for jail leadership. Photographs shared by the sheriff’s office not only draw attention to the hole in the wall, but also show clean cuts in the bars — raising questions about how the tools could have been smuggled into or gained access to the facility.
A First Arrest, and Many More to Come
Kendall Myles was the first escapee to be recaptured. He was identified by means of facial recognition software based on surveillance camera images captured in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Myles tried to flee but was found hiding under a car in a parking garage nearby. He was rebooked into the Orleans Parish jail for Simple Escape.
Two additional fugitives, Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis, were back in custody by the end of the day. The Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry, broke the news on social media in what was a bristling post: “3 down 7 to go, and we ARE NOT slowing down! LOCK THEM UP!”
Did They Have Help?
Suspicion from the outset had fallen on the likelihood of inside help. “There is no way for anybody to escape this facility without help,” Sheriff Susan Hutson said at a news briefing. Those suspicions were quickly confirmed when she announced that a jail employee had watched the escape unfold on surveillance footage but did not report it. Now officials believe the inmates may have received active help from others inside the jail.
A reward of $7,000 has been offered by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office for information that results in the arrest of the other four escapees. Federal authorities, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals, are assisting local enforcement in the search.
Community on Edge
The man’s escape has unnerved the whole New Orleans community. Many of the escapees are charged with homicide and other violent crimes. The escapees are “armed and dangerous,” authorities have cautioned, adding that they have probably discarded their prison attire.
The police chief, Anne Kirkpatrick, called it an “urgent and serious matter” and urged residents to report suspicious activity. Victims and their relatives have been informed, and officials are calling on anyone who was hiding or helping the inmates to come forward or be prosecuted under the law.
A Jail in Crisis
The Orleans Parish Jail is a couple miles off the historic French Quarter, but it has come under scrutiny before. Yet this latest episode should raise new questions about infrastructure, staffing and accountability.
The door that the inmates ripped from the wall was “defective,” officials said, and Sheriff Hutson has ordered an audit of all cell locks and weaknesses in his facilities to be conducted as soon as possible. Throughout it all, there has also been a simmering public anger at how a mass jailbreak like this can go undetected for more than eight hours.
Lawmakers have also started to speak out, demanding further investigations into the jail’s management practices and oversight protocols. With video evidence and eyewitness accounts piling up, so is the pressure for changes to the system.
The Manhunt Continues
The seven who remain at large are Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen, Antoine T. Massey and Gary C. Price. They want members of the public to keep their eyes open and come forward with any information. Authorities suspect that the fugitives could have left behind their uniforms and were assisted in passing themselves off.
Search efforts have spread beyond the city limits as authorities are scouring transportation hubs, interviewing known associates and netting with drones and surveillance footage to track movement.
New Orleans Jailbreak : What we can learn ?
The escape from Orleans Parish Jail has revealed serious problems in the way the facility is run and perhaps in its culture. With three inmates back, the others remain fugitives, and the sense of urgency is as strong as ever. But beyond this immediate crisis looms a larger question: How can we avoid this happening again?
As the pursuit drags on, New Orleans is due for a reckoning — not just with the escapees but with how it incarcerates, supervises and protects the public.
FAQs
- How did the inmates escape? They removed a cell door, ripped out a toilet from the wall, broke through metal bars and got out through a hole into a pipe chase, and later scaled a wall and ran across a highway.
- How many prisoners have been recaptured? Three of the escapees of the 10 men–Kendall Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis–are currently back in custody.
- Did staff members help in the escape? Yes, they think jail staff helped, and one employee did not report the escape despite having seen it on surveillance video.
- What are the inmates being charged with? A few of the escapees face violent charges, including murder.
- What steps are being taken to stop further breakouts? A jail infrastructure and staff conduct review is in progress. The authorities are also offering rewards for information that leads to arrests.
Reference
‘To Easy LoL’ – New Orleans jail break may have been inside job
3 inmates recaptured after New Orleans jailbreak; 7 still on the loose
