3 more New Orleans inmates captured today, leaving 2 at large

By Cindy Von Quednow and Jason Morris, CNN

(CNN) — A week and a half after 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail, three of the escapees were captured Monday — leaving only two at large, according to the Louisiana State Police.

Inmate Lenton Vanburen was detained in Baton Rouge, 72 miles northwest of New Orleans, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a post on X. Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were taken into custody in Walker County, Texas, about 330 miles west of New Orleans, by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Vanburen was caught while sitting on a bench near a department store, authorities in Baton Rouge said.

He was originally in jail on suspicion of a parole violation, possession of firearm by a felon and illegal carrying of a weapon, Murrill said. “He will now face additional charges related to the escape,” she added.

Tate and Donald were arrested after leading multiple law enforcement agencies on a high-speed chase, said the Huntsville Police Department.

“The pursuit ended near US 190 and Geneva, where both subjects were taken into custody,” Huntsville police said in a Facebook post. Authorities found the two after developing information they were in the Houston area, according to Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair. Huntsville is about 70 miles north of Houston.

The inmates caught Monday were the first of the escapees found outside of New Orleans.

Authorities continue to search for two additional escaped inmates, as seven people have been arrested in connection with assisting them.

Aside from the three men captured Monday, Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, Gary Price and Corey Boyd are back in custody. Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey remain at large and are considered armed and dangerous.

The inmates allegedly used electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

The capture of three inmates across two states Monday brings authorities closer to ending a prison break blamed on faulty locks, stolen blankets and a hungry employee who allegedly played a role in their escape.

Murrill and Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams visited the Orleans Justice Center last week as part of the ongoing investigation into the escape.

Additionally, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections is deploying at least 10 seasoned auditors to the Orleans Justice Center to investigate the jailbreak.

The district attorney said last week the director of the New Orleans Police Department Crime Lab visited the jail to begin a formal forensic processing of the scene, which he said was not requested by the sheriff’s office.

Williams asked the sheriff’s office to voluntarily cooperate with the forensic analysis by sharing any records of staff fingerprints or DNA “for the purpose of inclusion or elimination of their profiles,” according to a letter Williams sent to the sheriff’s office on Thursday that was obtained by CNN.

A separate letter from Thursday formally requested the sheriff’s office preserve all records related to the jailbreak, including surveillance video and electronic communications between staff.

“If you were manning the security system, you would have known a door was opening,” former Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman, who ran the jail from 2004 to 2022, told CNN.

“Especially in the middle of the night,” Gusman said.

Gusman told CNN he has no idea how the inmates got into the pipe chase behind the toilet and sink, but emphasized they had to navigate through walls made with a “substantial” network of concrete molding about “5 inches thick” and mixed with steel rebar.

7 people accused of helping inmates

A maintenance worker with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Sterling Williams, was arrested Tuesday. Williams, 33, is accused of “willfully and maliciously” assisting with the jailbreak, according to an affidavit. He faces one count of malfeasance in office and 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape.

Williams’ attorney, Michael Kennedy, said the worker was turning off water to an overflowing toilet after being told to do so and he is “fully convinced” of his client’s innocence.

Six other people are accused of helping the inmates in some way, including another inmate at the same facility.

Investigators continue to comb through previous jail phone recordings and believe other inmates or employees at the jail could face charges for assisting in the escape and initial cover-up in the hours following the jailbreak, according to the source with direct knowledge of the investigation.

Trevon Williams was arrested on Friday in connection with the inmates’ escape. Trevon Williams, who was already in jail on unrelated charges, was rebooked on an additional charge of principal to simple escape, according to an X post from Murrill.

The others arrested are accused of being accessories after the fact, authorities said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Ryan Young contributed to this report.

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