2 people arrested for assisting fugitives wanted in New Orleans mass jailbreak
Two people accused of assisting the inmates who bolted from a New Orleans jail in last Friday's mass escape have been arrested as the search for fugitives still at large stetched into its sixth day, officials said.
The Louisiana State Police announced on Wednesday that 32-year-old Cortnie Harris and 38-year-old Corvanntay Baptiste were arrested and charged with felony counts of being accessories after the fact. They were both booked at the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, officials said.
According to the state police, an investigation found that, before the escape, Harris was allegedly in contact by phone with an escapee who remains on the run.
"Furthermore, investigators determined that Harris transported two escapees, who remain at large, to multiple locations in New Orleans," police said.
Baptiste, according to the state police, was also in contact by phone and social media with escapee Corey Boyd, who was captured by police on Tuesday night.
Authorities alleged that Baptiste "helped facilitate getting him [Boyd] food while he was hiding in a residence."
If convicted of being an accessory after the fact, Harris and Baptiste face a fine of at least $500 and could be "imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than five years, or both."
"Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable," the state police said in the statement. "Harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and will not be tolerated."
Five of the 10 inmates who escaped the jail early Friday remained on the run on Wednesday, including one who is a convicted killer and two who have been charged with second-degree murder.
Meanwhile, embattled Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said she is suspending her reelection campaign after she accepted blame for the for the mass escape of 10 from the jail she oversees.
Facing mounting pressure over the jailbreak, Hutson said she is suspending her campaign to focus her attention on "security, accountability and public safety."
The sheriff announced her decision on Tuesday. Hutson was elected Orleans Parish Sheriff in 2021 and took office in 2022, according to the sheriff's office website, making history as the first Black woman to serve as sheriff in Louisiana and the first woman to serve as sheriff in New Orleans.
Hutson's announcement came as she faces growing calls from state representatives, crime victims and others to resign.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Hutson accepted blame for the breakout after a maintenance worker at the Orleans Justice Center, where the breakout occurred, was arrested on charges alleging he helped facilitate the escape.
Hutson also announced that four other jail staff have been suspended and are under investigation for possible involvement in the jailbreak.
"I take full responsibility for what happened. This breach happened under my leadership, and it is my responsibility to ensure it is addressed with urgency and transparency," Hutson said in her statement on Tuesday.
"To date, we have suspended staff, made an arrest, and launched comprehensive internal and external investigations," she added. "We are also fully cooperating with the independent investigation led by the Louisiana Attorney General, and we have provided full access to all records, surveillance footage, and facility documentation."
The 10 inmates exited the jail through a wall behind a toilet at 1:01 a.m. on Friday, Hutson said at an earlier news conference. They then made their way off the property through a loading dock door and scaled the perimeter wall using blankets to protect themselves from the barbed wire, according to the sheriff's office. From there, officials said they had a clear path to the railroad tracks and then the interstate.
The inmates weren't discovered missing until 8:30 a.m. Friday, when jail officials conducted a routine headcount, sheriff's officials said.
The U.S. Marshals, Louisiana State Police and Probation and Parole were not notified of the escape until 9:30 a.m. on Friday, the sheriff's office said. New Orleans police officials said they were notified at 10:30 a.m.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said he didn't find out until a member of the news media called to ask him to confirm the breakout at about 10 a.m. on Friday. He said the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, which oversees the jail, failed to notify local police and the public immediately.
"The public is the sixth man on the team in a jailbreak. You want to let the public know immediately when something like this happens," Williams said. "The public was denied the opportunity to participate in this manhunt for eight hours. Law enforcement was denied the opportunity to start looking."
