Not one, but two jail breaks in South Louisiana yesterday. In St. Landry Parish Jail, three inmates escaped from the jail there. Major Mark LeBlanc with the sheriff’s office says 24-year-olds Keith Eli and Johnathan Joseph and 26-year-old Joseph Harrington escaped through one of the cells in an upper corner of the building.
JOSEPH HARRINGTON (courtesy of St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office)
JOHNATHAN JOSEPH (courtesy of St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office)
KEITH ELI (courtesy of St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office)
“They discovered a rather degrading part of the upper wall, removed the mortar, were able to remove the concrete blocks to create enough of a hole,” LeBlanc explained.
At that point, they were able to get outside and onto the roof. LeBlanc says due to construction that was happening, they were able to use certain equipment to make their escape.
“They were able to access extension cords and, in combination with sheets that they had tied together, they were able to descend and eventually get off of the building completely,” LeBlanc said.
And in Vermilion Parish, a 23-year-old facing drug and firearm charges escaped that parish’s jail late last night. Deputies believed they saw Gavin Garnica sleeping covered in his bunk, but they later discovered video showing him scaling the jail’s fence. Ashley Adams with the sheriff’s office says Garnica is known to be violent, so anyone who sees him should not approach him under any circumstances.
GAVIN GARNICA (courtesy of Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office)
“He has been known to carry a weapon. There have been escapes from custody and other involvement with criminal activity in history related to both drugs and weapons,” Adams cautioned.
Adams says one big question is how Garnica was able to escape the jail in the first place.
“We, internally, have an investigation that has been initiated to determine what, if any, of our protocols here internally have been violated,” Adams said.
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