A maintenance employee at a New Orleans jail has been taken into custody for allegedly aiding in the escape of 10 inmates late last week, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The arrest comes as the search for the six remaining fugitives continues into its fifth day. Officials identified four of those still at large—Corey Boyd, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, and Derrick Groves—as facing second-degree murder charges.
According to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, 33-year-old Sterling Williams reportedly told investigators he acted under threats made by one of the inmates involved in the breakout. Williams was employed at the Orleans Parish jail operated by the sheriff’s office, was taken into custody on Monday night, and booked into jail on Tuesday morning. Williams now faces 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape and an additional charge of malfeasance in office. After his initial booking at the Orleans Parish facility, he was transferred to another location. Also in connection with the ongoing investigation, three other employees of the jail have been placed on suspension.
Murrill stated that Williams had admitted to shutting off the water supply to a jail cell at the request of an inmate, which in turn made it possible to remove a toilet — which was key to the inmates’ escape plan. Williams confessed to investigators that he had assisted in the escape, and allegedly told agents that one of the inmates instructed him to cut off the water in the cell they ultimately fled from. In addition, court documents also revealed that Williams told agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation he had been intimidated by Antoine Massey, one of the escapees. Williams claimed that Massey threatened to stab him if he didn’t cut the water supply, a move that allowed inmates to tamper with the toilet and wall structure behind it (Massey is among six inmates who have not yet been captured). Surveillance footage also showed Williams in conversation with Massey and another escapee, Derrick Groves, who also remains at large.
Security footage from inside the jail showed the inmates forcing open a cell door at around 12:22 a.m. Central Time. Investigators say the inmates managed to cut through steel bars located behind the toilet, then bent the bars enough to crawl through. By approximately 1 a.m., the escapees were captured on video making their way through a loading dock. About 20 minutes later, they were seen using blankets to scale a barbed wire fence before disappearing into a neighborhood across Interstate 10. The jailbreak wasn’t discovered until around 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Murrill said: “rather than reporting the request to authorities, Williams complied, shutting off the water and thereby enabling the inmates’ plan to proceed.” She added that “we will continue to uncover every detail surrounding this escape,” she said. “Anyone found to have played a role will be held accountable under the law. I urge anyone with knowledge of the incident—including those who may have helped—to come forward now, while they still have the opportunity to cooperate.”
Authorities initially reported 11 inmates missing, but later clarified that one had been moved to another unit and had not escaped. Three inmates were recaptured within 24 hours of the escape; among those apprehended that same day were Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, and Kendall Myles (who had been held on a second-degree murder charge). The most recent arrest happened on Monday, when authorities took 21-year-old Gary C. Price into custody.
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