New Orleans (AP) – The authorities of Louisiana say that they are looking for 10 detainees – of which at least one is found guilty of murder – who escaped from a prison in New Orleans. Another detainee was captured on Friday after a short prosecution in the French district, the police of Louisiana announced in an article on the social media platform.
The authorities first noticed that the 11 detainees were missing during a Friday morning workforce.
One of the fugitive detainees, Derrick Groves, was found guilty of two accusations of second degree murder and two accusations of attempted murder in the second degree last year for his role in the 2018 Tuesday Gras Day shooting. Groves also faces a battery charge against an employee of the correctional establishment, according to the judicial archives.
The sheriff of the parish of Orleans, Susan Hutson, said that the ministry actively worked with local, state and federal agencies to apply the law to find out prisoners escaped.
“We are launching a complete survey to determine how this escape occurred, in particular the examination of installation protocols, staff performance and physical security measures,” said Hutson. “All the gaps or failures that have contributed to this incident will be treated quickly and with complete responsibility.”
Investigators focus on an opening inside a cell through which at least an inmate has escaped in a maintenance corridor, according to a current and a former law enforcement who were not authorized to discuss the current survey and spoke to the associated press subject to anonymity.
“This is how they escaped,” said the current official, adding that the investigators were examining surveillance images that captured the jailbreak.
The AP obtained a photograph that the manager of the current law application shows the opening in question. A former law manager who worked in the prison for several years said that such an opening – a few meters – would generally be covered by a sink and toilets that may have been deleted in this case.
The prosecutor general of Louisiana, Liz Murrill, described the escape “beyond unacceptable” and said that local authorities had waited for too long to inform the public.
“Someone has clearly dropped the ball and there is no excuse for this,” Murrill said in a statement sent by e-mail. “My office will do everything it takes to determine how it happens and make sure it will not happen again.”
The superintendent of the New Orleans police department, Anne Kirkpatrick, said that her agency had put “a full effort” to respond to the escape and worked with the FBI and the American marshals.
“It is more than likely that someone has had help and that he does not flow into a combination-but if they are, you will stand out,” she said.
The agents focused on identifying and protecting people who may have testified in their cases or who may be in danger. A family was “removed” from their home, said Kirkpatrick.
“If there is someone who helps or hosts these escape, you will be billed,” added Kirkpatrick.
The writer Associated Press, Jim Mustian, contributed to this report.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
