One inmate remains on the run after a group of three removed mortar and concrete blocks from a jail wall in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, to make their escape this week, the sheriff’s office said Friday.
The inmates, two of whom were being held on charges of a violent nature, used sheets and other items to scale the outer wall of the jail, drop onto the first-floor roof and lower themselves to the ground on Wednesday, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz wrote in a social media post earlier this week.
This week’s incident marks the latest brazen escape from a Louisiana jail this year, after 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail in a stunning overnight escape, using electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls. The last of those 10 prisoners who escaped wasn’t recaptured until five months later at a home in Atlanta, according to the US Marshals.
Johnathon Joseph, 24, of Opelousas, is back in custody, the sheriff’s office said Friday. Law enforcement acted on “numerous tips” to capture Joseph without incident, the sheriff said.
Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, who faced several felony charges, including home invasion, killed himself after he was found, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux told The Associated Press over the phone.
After a tipster who recognized Harrington told police on Thursday he was seen pushing a black e-bike, an officer spotted the bike at a nearby home, according to AP. Police used a loudspeaker to urge Harrington to come out of the home, and they later heard a gunshot. Harrington was found dead inside the home. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux told the AP.
Keith Eli, 24, who has been held on an attempted second-degree murder charge, is still on the loose.
“We will continue our efforts, without end, to apprehend Keith Eli. We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably, but we will not rest until he is captured,” Guidroz said in a news release on Friday.
“An internal investigation has been initiated, the Jail Supervisory Staff will be providing a comprehensive report and both will be forwarded to my office for appropriate action,” Guidroz said in a social media post.
Sheriff’s department spokesperson Maj. Mark LeBlanc told the AP while he wasn’t aware of the building being similarly breached in the past, anyone will try to escape with enough time and opportunity.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he said.
This is the second escape from the jail since October, when one inmate got away before being recaptured by the Opelousas Police Department, CNN affiliate KADN reported.
The parish president, Jessie Bellard, held a news conference Thursday to address the latest escape and emphasize the jail, built in 1982, is structurally sound, refuting claims made by the sheriff about the inmates discovering “a degrading part of an upper wall area” and using that to make their escape.
“The claims about crumbling walls and rusted-out cell door locks are inaccurate. The Parish Jail does not have these structural issues, and I invite the Sheriff to produce documentation to substantiate his claims,” Bellard wrote in a post on social media Saturday.
“I want to make sure that people understand that this jail is not crumbling. It’s in good shape. It’s structurally sound, and we have the engineer reports to back that up,” Bellard affirmed during his news conference.
The parish president instead attributed the escapes to a lack of manpower and training. “It is unreasonable to expect one deputy to manage over 100 inmates on a floor, especially during night shifts,” he wrote. “The Sheriff must take responsibility for improving deputy pay to ensure we are competitive with surrounding parishes, properly compensating those who risk their lives daily.”
Bellard highlighted the need for improved security measures, including addressing the lack of security footage.
Anyone with verifiable information on Eli’s whereabouts is being asked to submit an anonymous tip to St. Landry Crime Stoppers.