State Police confident they’ll find escaped inmates, while Governor Landry calls for extensive investigation into jail break

The search continues for the seven inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish jail on Friday. State Police Colonel Robert Hodges says multiple agencies are involved in the manhunt.

“I’m confident with the team of officials behind me, whether it’s a trooper, agent, an officer, or a sheriff’s deputy that will track all seven of them and bring them to justice,” Hodges said.

Authorities are urging the public to provide tips in helping them locate the escaped inmates. The FBI has increased its reward from $5,000 to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of these fugitives.

Hodges says they are getting good leads, but these escapees remain elusive.

“Unfortunately, they have friends and family members who are helping them and concealing them and helping them move, which makes law enforcement’s job more challenging,” Hodges said.

Hodges says anyone caught helping these fugitives stay on the run will be charged criminally.

Governor Jeff Landry says there is no excuse for what happened. He wants to know why the escape happened.

“And the public deserves to know who, what, and how this happened; the responsibility for answering those questions will fall to the Attorney General,” Landry said.

Landry is also calling for an audit of the Orleans Parish Jail, which the Louisiana Department of Corrections will conduct. The governor says the audit should be completed by the end of the week.

Landry also wants the state’s Inspector General to get an inventory of the inmates in the Orleans Parish jail who have been convicted of crimes, but are still awaiting sentencing. He says one of the escapees has been awaiting sentencing for eight months.

“Derrick Groves, the escapee, who plead guilty to manslaughter in October of last year and was awaiting sentencing, if he had been sentenced by the court system, he most likely would not have had an opportunity to escape,” Landry said.

Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson says defective locks, a breached wall, and possible assistance from the inside led to what is believed to be the largest jail break in the state’s history.

The inmates escaped at about one Friday morning, and jail staff didn’t notice that they were gone until 8:30 that morning when they were unaccounted for during a routine check. At least 90 minutes later, the public and the media were notified.