Louisiana authorities captured the third and final inmate who escaped from St. Landry Parish Jail following a weeks-long manhunt.

In early December, three inmates — all 20-somethings jailed on “charges of a violent nature” — removed the mortar and concrete blocks of a deteriorating part of a jail wall, then used sheets and other materials to scale the side of the building, dropped to the first-floor roof, and escaped, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office has said.

The last remaining escapee, 24-year-old Keith Eli, was apprehended Friday without incident in Opelousas by narcotics detectives and SWAT, the sheriff’s office said. Eli faces one count of attempted second-degree murder.

Eli’s capture comes weeks after authorities apprehended Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, on December 8. Joseph had been jailed on charges of principal to first-degree rape, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other counts. “Numerous tips” and “intelligence gathering” led authorities to find the escapee, the sheriff’s office said.

Days earlier, Joseph Allen Harrington, a 26-year-old in custody on numerous felony counts, including home invasion and cruelty to juveniles, died by suicide after authorities found him, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux told the Associated Press.

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A tipster had recognized Harrington, who was pushing an e-bike. Authorities found the e-bike at the home and then used a loudspeaker to urge the individual to come out of the house. They later heard a gunshot and authorities found his body inside with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.

Authorities announced the inmates had escaped on December 3.

Maj. Mark LeBlanc, of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, told the AP that he hadn’t heard of anyone escaping from the jail in this manner before.

“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he told the outlet.

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However, the three men’s jailbreak came months after 10 inmates at another Louisiana jail — the Orleans Justice Center — in May.

The group was able to open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans-area jail, squeeze through a hole behind a toilet, and then scale a barbed-wire fence to freedom. They escaped in the early hours of May 16.

Authorities found a message drawn around the hole: an arrow pointing at the gap and the words “To Easy LoL.”

While nine of the escapees were captured within six weeks of their jailbreak, the final inmate — who had the most violent criminal record of the group — wasn’t found until October.

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

6-8-5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

7-2-9-7

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

0-7-9-8-1

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Easy 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

07-17-20-28-33

Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

10-11-15-16-26-28

Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

1. Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
2. Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
3. Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
4. Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
• Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
• Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
• Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – The federal government is building a nationwide standard as the United States competes in a global A.I. race, much the same as the Space Race of the 20th century.

Last week, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at establishing a uniform federal regulatory framework for artificial intelligence in the United States.

The order emphasized a need for AI companies to be allowed to innovate without hinderance from excessive regulations, so that the system would not become fragmented.

Marva Bailer is the CEO and founder of Qualaix, which works to improve productivity and innovation with AI through conversations. She said this framework a step towards realizing an untapped potential in the United States for innovation and productivity through AI.

“We are leading the AI race,” said Bailer. “What is getting people’s attention is there are areas that we could be a lot stronger and lean in a lot faster.”

We spoke with KALB political analyst Greg LaRose to learn how this new framework might impact Louisiana’s development.

Since 2024, the construction of multiple AI data centers has been announced across the state, with each new center estimated to be worth billions of dollars and promising new jobs and growth for Louisiana.

According to LaRose, the executive order should not realistically confine any of the state’s major AI projects.

“Through the Louisiana lens at that executive order from President Trump, I’m not really seeing anything that really confines what’s going on in the state.”

The majority of the state’s laws are concerned with deep fakes.

In October, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry issued his own executive order which banned, “Communist Chinese AI platforms’ from systems within state government.”

While it is unclear how Louisiana will enforce Landry’s order, LaRose said the state does face other concerns.

“I think they’re more concerned about giving China access to the data that is used to create, say, a Louisiana-based deep fake or any type of issue,” said LaRose. “For example, like transcription software that people are increasingly using to make record-keeping a lot easier. I think the idea is that that type of information be kept out of hands that we don’t want it in.”

This, as the global AI race heats up heading into 2026.

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