Ten inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail early Friday morning after navigating through a hole behind a toilet, prompting a manhunt and raising serious concerns about security breaches and possible internal assistance. Authorities in Louisiana have recaptured three of the 10 inmates who escaped. The inmates, including some with charges for murder, broke out of the jail in Orleans Parish at about 1 a.m. on May 16. By the end of the night, Kendall Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis were back in custody, according to Gov. Jeff Landry. "3 down 7 to go, and we ARE NOT slowing down! LOCK THEM UP!" Landry said in a social media post.
The inmates pulled a "defective" cell door off its tracks before ripping away a toilet and sink unit from a wall, Sheriff Susan Hutson said. Security footage showed the men leaving via a loading dock, scaling a wall, running across a highway, Hutson said.
"We have indications that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department," Hutson said, adding that a jail employee saw them escape through surveillance and didn't report it.
Officials are offering up to a $7,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
The seven inmates still at large are Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen, Antoine T. Massey, and Gary C. Price.