WDSU, WDSUNOPD, CNN
By Karina Tsui, CNN
(CNN) — As authorities in Louisiana continue their hunt for five of the 10 inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail this month, seven people have been charged with helping the escapees, both from inside jail and once they were at large.
Officials said from the beginning the escape was strategically planned and the fugitives had help. The growing number of arrests provides new insight into just how elaborate and far-reaching the planned jailbreak may have been.
“As I promised when we initiated our investigation, we will hold absolutely everyone who contributed any role to the prison break in New Orleans accountable,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a Sunday statement, announcing the latest alleged accomplice in the escape.
Investigators continue to comb through communications from the jail, including phone recordings, and believe that other incarcerated inmates or employees could face additional charges for their role in assisting in the May 16 escape and a possible initial cover-up in the hours following the jailbreak, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN this weekend.
As of Sunday evening, authorities have arrested and charged seven people who allegedly helped the 10 inmates before and in the hours after their escape.
Here’s what we know so far.
Accused of helping with the escape
- Trevon Williams, 23, is accused of helping with the escape. He was already being held in a New Orleans jail on unrelated charges when investigators learned of his alleged involvement, according to Murrill. Williams faces 10 counts of principal to simple escape, but officials have not detailed how they believe he was involved in the jailbreak.
- Sterling Williams, 33, a maintenance worker at the jail, was arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees by turning off the water to the cell where they disconnected the plumbing to escape, according to Murrill. Williams said inmate Antoine Massey – one of the escapees still at large – threatened to shank him if he didn’t turn off the water, according to an affidavit. Williams’ attorney said he’s “fully convinced” of his client’s innocence.
Accused of helping after the escape
- Emmitt Weber, 28, is the most recent arrest in the jailbreak investigation. He faces a charge of accessory after the fact of simple escape, the New Orleans Police Department announced in a news release Friday.
- Connie Weeden, 59, is accused of sending cash via a cell phone app to escapee Jermaine Donald. Weeden was arrested in Slidell, roughly 30 miles northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana State Police said. She faces one felony count of accessory after the fact, which carries the possibility of a fine up to $500 and up to five years of prison.
- Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, was allegedly in contact with escapee Corey Boyd through social media and by phone. She also helped get him food while he was in hiding, according to Louisiana State Police. Baptiste has been charged with one count of accessory after the fact.
- Cortnie Harris, 32, is accused of being in contact with one of the escapees who remains missing. She also helped transport two missing fugitives to “multiple locations in New Orleans,” according to Louisiana State Police. Harris is charged with one count of accessory after the fact.
- Casey Smith, 30, is accused of helping at least two escapees in the hours following the jailbreak, according to New Orleans police. Officers located Smith at a residence in the Third District, where police claim she admitted to her role in aiding the fugitives’ transport, along with Cortnie Harris. Smith was booked with accessory after the fact to simple escape.
The public defender’s office has been appointed to represent the suspects while they are in custody, according to Orleans Parish court records. CNN reached out to the public defender’s office for comment. The exception is Weeden, who was arrested in St. Tammany Parish. CNN is working to identify an attorney for her.
The inmates who’ve been captured are Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, Gary Price and Corey Boyd, while the inmates still at-large are Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Antoine Massey, Leo Tate and Lenton Vanburen.
Other inmates believed to have hidden escape hole, source says
Investigators believe other inmates provided materials used during the escape and helped to conceal it after it happened, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
The 10 inmates escaped through a hole in the wall behind a toilet in a handicapped cell they’d broken into. Other inmates are believed to have placed the toilet back on the wall after the jailbreak to conceal the hole, according to the source.
The escapees used electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls, the source said. The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office has not responded to CNN’s questions about whether inmates are allowed to have access to electric hair trimmers and barber equipment.
In addition, other inmates in the jail are also believed to have provided towels to the escapees that were used to help them scale the barbed wire fence surrounding the Orleans Parish Jail, the source said.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said last Thursday the director of the New Orleans Police Department Crime Lab visited the jail to begin a formal forensic processing of the scene, which he said was not requested by the sheriff’s office.
Orleans Parish sheriff, jail under scrutiny
The sweeping investigation into the jailbreak includes probes into the Orleans Justice Center where the inmates were held and into the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office that oversaw it.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order last Wednesday “mandating an immediate and aggressive response across multiple state agencies” in response to the escape. The Orleans Justice Center is also undergoing an audit by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The last audit was more than a decade ago.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the Orleans Justice Center, has come under increasing scrutiny. She was grilled during a tense city council meeting last week about whether the jail’s persistent problems stem from inadequate funding or poor management. Hutson told the council she takes “full accountability” for the “failure” but also pointed to the alleged involvement of jail staff.
“There were procedural failures. And missed notifications. But there were also intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort aided by individuals inside our own agency who made the choice to break the law. One arrest has been made, and we are continuing to pursue everyone involved and that investigation is active and ongoing,” the sheriff said.
Hours after the city council meeting, the sheriff announced she was suspending her reelection campaign, telling the public in a statement, “I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs.”
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CNN’s Ryan Young, Jason Morris, Matt Rehbein, Rebekah Riess, Holly Yan, Hanna Park, Michelle Krupa and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
