New Orleans jailbreak sheriff asks for DA to be removed from probe into security breach
The sheriff in charge of the jail where 10 inmates escaped two weeks ago went to court on Thursday seeking to remove the local district attorney from the probe into the massive security breach, according to new court documents.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, in her court filing, said District Attorney Jason Williams is letting "personal animus and political campaigning" interfere with the ongoing probe. Hutson said Williams has publicly questioned her leadership and has launched a series of "ongoing attacks" on her office in "an unprecedented display of political self-serving bias."
The unusual legal maneuver comes as a manhunt continues for two of the men who broke out of what was supposed to be a secure lockup.
The sheriff noted that the DA is supporting her opponent in the upcoming sheriff's election.
Orleans Parish Criminal Judge Nandi Campbell did not rule on the request, resolving it instead during a meeting behind closed doors Thursday.
On May 27, Williams put in an official request with state Attorney General Liz Murrill to take up the probe of the "operational failures" that led to the jailbreak. The investigation is still being led by the state Attorney General, as it had been.
"We both agree (and both the public trust and the law require) that the investigation of the responsibilities (and failings) of the Sheriff and her office must be swift, thorough, and certain. Unfortunately, but unavoidably, my office's necessary day-to-day interactions with the (sheriff's office) could impose a practical conflict with regards to spearheading a direct investigation of the Sheriff, her staff, and her organization in this matter," his letter said.
Williams previously told ABC News that Hutson's staff was slow to request a detailed forensic investigation of the jail cell where authorities said the escapees removed a toilet and escaped through a hole in the wall.
Williams criticized the sheriff for failing to immediately take the appropriate investigative steps. He said it took nearly a week for the scene to be processed for evidence that could have proven critical, and it was only done once his inquiry prompted the New Orleans police leadership to mobilize. Williams has also subpoenaed a range of records from the sheriff's agency as part of the investigation into what went wrong.
"Every moment that goes by without a properly processed scene diminishes the possibility of collecting valuable and reliable evidence of this crime," Williams said. "After this jailbreak, jail leadership should have immediately requested an independent forensic processing of that scene. It's hard not to see this agency as anything but compromised until any bad actors have been identified and rooted out."
Hutson and her staff have come under scrutiny since the May 16 escape, and the district attorney has openly criticized her for dropping the ball. She temporarily suspended her reelection campaign after the escape to focus on "security, accountability and public safety."
In her filing, Hutson said Williams' tactics are "a strain on OPSO resources, an unfair advantage to his preferred candidate for Orleans Parish Sheriff, and an erosion of public trust in the criminal justice process."
In a statement, Williams called the sheriff's latest effort to have him removed from a probe he's not leading "untimely and meritless."
"This is yet another example of the sheriff being two steps behind the moment," he said, adding his office "chose to refer this matter to the AG due to possible multi-jurisdictional implications and potential for statewide examination of jailbreak protocols" and that his initial investigative steps after the escape "were necessary to ensure that no key materials were lost or compromised by the Sheriff's office."
"We find it bizarre that the sheriff, our local jailer, would attempt to stop or stymie any investigative action relative to what she calls in her motion, 'the May 16, 2025 resident escape.' One would imagine the sheriff would have a desire for a robust and complete investigation into who violated law and the public trust in participating in this historic jailbreak. The sheriff's energy, time and resources here are misspent."
The 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center in the early morning hours of May 16 after climbing through a hole behind a toilet. Their disappearance was not noticed for several hours and touched off a massive manhunt.
Over a dozen people have been arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees, including another inmate in the jail and a jail maintenance worker who is accused of shutting off water to the toilet allowing escapees to remove it.
Three of the 10 inmates who escaped were apprehended in New Orleans within the first 24 hours of the jailbreak. Some of the others were captured in the following days, including in Baton Rouge and two in Texas.
