A maintenance worker is charged in connection with the New Orleans jail break

New Orleans jail worker arrested for aiding inmates in escape

A maintenance worker at a New Orleans jail has been taken into custody for allegedly shutting off the water to a toilet that masked a hole in the wall used by 10 men to flee the facility. Six of the escapees are still at large after executing the breakout by manipulating a faulty cell door, moving the toilet, and slipping through the gap in the wall. The graffiti left behind by the inmates read, “To Easy LoL,” indicating the simplicity of their escape strategy.

The incident took place while the sole guard on duty left to get food, leaving the inmates unsupervised. It remains uncertain if this guard was one of the three suspended employees under investigation for suspected involvement in the escape plot.

The arrested maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, confessed that one of the fleeing inmates had threatened him to turn off the water supply, forcing him to comply. Williams now faces charges of assisting in the escape and misconduct in office. An affidavit revealed that had the inmates not turned off the water before dismantling the plumbing, their plan would have failed, potentially causing flooding that would attract attention.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson expressed her belief that the jailbreak was an inside job, leading to the suspension of multiple employees pending further inquiry. The Attorney General and other law enforcement officials have also raised concerns about potential accomplices within the prison staff. Despite the capture of four escapees, six remain on the loose, prompting a reevaluation of security measures at the correctional facility.