Louisiana

Louisiana State Police captures 4th escaped inmate in NOLA prison break, 6 still at large

Published

7 months ago

May 19, 2025

Louisiana State Police captures 4th escaped inmate in NOLA prison break, 6 still at large

A fourth inmate has been captured by authorities after escaping from a New Orleans jail on Friday with six other convicts.

“Louisiana State Police just captured inmate Gary C. Price,” FBI New Orleans confirmed in a post on X.

7 FUGITIVES REMAIN ON THE RUN AFTER NOLA PRISON BREAK; INSIDE JOB SUSPECTED

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain out on the street this evening searching for the remaining six. If you have any information please call 1-800-Call-FBI or send us a tip online,” the post continued.

Price, 21, was charged with seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree battery, aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment with a weapon, domestic abuse, simple assault, aggravated criminal damage to property and resisting an officer, according to officials.

Officials said Price will ultimately be transported to a secure state facility outside the area and booked.

NEW ORLEANS JAIL INMATES CHARGED WITH MURDER AND OTHER CRIMES ESCAPE

10 inmates escaped from the jail, according to authorities. (Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office / WVUE)

Authorities said that some fugitives may have left the city or the state of Louisiana, and the public has been urged to stay alert, not be alarmed and report any tips. The FBI in a statement said it has “surged resources” and is offering up to $5,000 for tips leading to the arrest of the inmates.

A source confirmed to Fox News that authorities have come close to detaining others, but the “timing has been off.”

The source added it’s possible the remaining fugitives have left New Orleans, but it’s believed most, if not all of them, are still here.

Police said that “over 200 Law Enforcement personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies continue to work around the clock to locate the remaining fugitives.”

The six fugitives still on the run are Jermaine Donald, 42; Antoine Massey, 33; Leo Tate, 31; Lenton Vanburen, 27; Derrick Groves, 27; and Corey Boyd, 19.

The fugitives on the run are:

Corey E. Boyd, 19, charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery, illegal carrying of weapons involving a crime, and obstruction of justice.
Lenton J. Vanburen Jr., 26, charged with illegal carrying of weapons, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, obstruction of justice and introducing contraband in prison.
Jermaine Donald, 42, charged with second-degree murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.
Antoine Massey, 32, charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation.
Derrick Groves, 27, charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and battery of a correctional facility employee.
Leo O. Tate Sr., 31, charged with simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, illegal carrying of a weapon, motor vehicle theft and multiple drug charges.

Louisiana State Police released images of the captured fugitives being led into a helicopter on Friday night.

Kendall Myles, 20, was apprehended after a brief foot chase through the French Quarter soon after the escape. He had previously escaped twice from juvenile detention centers.

By Friday evening, two more fugitives had been captured. Officials found Robert Moody, 21, in New Orleans thanks to a Crimestoppers tip, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Dkenan Dennis was found near the Chef Menteur Highway, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced on the social platform X.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said Friday it’s unlikely the inmates could have escaped without some kind of help.

Attorney General Liz Murrill said that they “clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this.”

LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BLASTS ‘PROGRESSIVE PROMISES’ AFTER NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPE

The captured inmates being led to a helicopter. ( Louisiana State Police)

She is calling for a full investigation of the incident.

A female civilian employee monitoring the pod “stepped away” to get food and missed the getaway, according to authorities.

Officials said the video feed was not being actively monitored at the time, but it was reviewed after the inmates were discovered missing hours later.

The escapees were not discovered missing until a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

The jail is only at 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said.

Three jail employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, authorities said.

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Retired FBI special agent Jason Pack tells Fox News Digital that “the jailbreak in New Orleans should get everyone’s attention.”

“This wasn’t a complicated escape. Ten inmates got out through a hole behind a toilet,”Pack said. “It took more than seven hours before anyone noticed they were gone. That tells you a lot about what’s going on inside that jail. Too few people on staff. Not enough oversight. And likely not enough working equipment or security checks.”

Pack said that the number one goal for law enforcement is to get all the inmates back into custody quickly and safely.

“Police don’t want this to end with anyone getting injured, including the escapees. The goal is to find them, surround them, and bring them in without any drama. That’s what officers train for. It’s not about chasing headlines. It’s about doing the job carefully and professionally, even when the public is watching,” Pack said.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Alex Koch contributed to this report.

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

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Louisiana

Louisiana pastor convicted of abusing teenage congregant

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana pastor convicted of abusing teenage congregant

A Pentecostal pastor in Louisiana charged with sexually molesting a teenage girl in his church has been convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile – but was acquitted of the more serious crime of statutory rape.

Milton Otto Martin III, 58, faces up to seven years in prison and must register as a sex offender after a three-day trial in Chalmette, Louisiana, resulted in a guilty verdict against him on Thursday. His sentencing hearing is tentatively set for 15 January in the latest high-profile instance of religious abuse in the New Orleans area.

Authorities who investigated Martin, the pastor of Chalmette’s First Pentecostal Church, spoke with several alleged molestation victims of his. But the jury in his case heard from just two of them, and the charges on which he was tried pertained to only one.

That victim’s attorneys – John Denenea, Richard Trahant and Soren Gisleson – lauded their client for testifying against Martin even as members of the institution’s congregation showed up in large numbers to support him throughout the trial.

“That was the most courageous thing I’ve ever seen a young woman do,” the lawyers remarked in a statement, with Denenea saying it was the first time in his career he and a client of his needed deputies to escort them out the courthouse. “She not only made sure he was accountable for his crimes – she has also protected many other young women from this convicted predator.”

Neither Martin’s attorney, Jeff Hufft, nor his church immediately responded to requests for comment.

The documents containing Martin’s criminal charges alleged that he committed felony carnal knowledge, Louisiana’s formal name for statutory rape, by engaging in oral sex with Denenea’s client when she was 16 in about 2011. The indecent behavior was inflicted on her when she was between the ages of 15 and 17, the charging documents maintained.

A civil lawsuit filed against Martin in parallel detailed how he would allegedly bring the victim – one of his congregants – out on four-wheeler rides and sexually abuse her during breaks that they took during the excursions.

The accuser, now about 30, reported Martin to Louisiana state police before he was arrested in March 2023. Other accusers subsequently came forward with similar allegations dating back further. Martin made bail, pleaded not guilty and underwent trial beginning on Tuesday in front of state court judge Darren Roy.

Denenea said he believed his client’s testimony on Wednesday was pivotal in Martin’s conviction, which was obtained by prosecutors Barry Milligan and Erica Moore of the Louisiana attorney general’s office, according to the agency.

As Denenea put it, it seemed to him Martin’s acquittal stemmed from uncertainty over whether the accuser initially reported being 16 at the time of the alleged carnal knowledge.

State attorney general Liz Murrill said in a statement that it was “great work” my Milligan and Moore “getting justice for this victim”.

“We will never stop fighting to protect the children of Louisiana,” Murrill said.

Martin was remanded without bail to the custody of the local sheriff’s office to await sentencing after the verdict.

The lawsuit that Denenea’s client filed against Martin was stayed while the criminal case was unresolved. It can now proceed, with the plaintiff accusing the First Pentecostal church of doing nothing to investigate earlier sexual abuse claims against Martin.

The plaintiff also accused the Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowships to which the Chalmette church belonged of failing to properly supervise Martin around children, and her lawsuit demands damages from both institutions.

Martin’s prosecution is unrelated to the clergy molestation scandal that drove the Roman Catholic archdiocese of nearby New Orleans into federal bankruptcy court in 2020 – but the two cases do share a few links.

State police detective Scott Rodrigue investigated Martin after also pursuing the retired New Orleans Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker, a serial child molester who had been shielded by his church superiors for decades. Rodrigue’s investigation led to Hecker’s arrest, conviction and life sentence for child rape – shortly before his death in December 2024.

Furthermore, Denenea, Trahant and Gisleson were also the civil attorneys for the victim in Hecker’s criminal case.

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Louisiana

This Japanese partnership will advance carbon capture in Louisiana

Published

19 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Newlab New Orleans is deepening its energy-tech ambitions with a new partnership alongside JERA, Japan’s largest power generator, to accelerate next-generation carbon capture solutions for heavy industries across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, The Center Square writes.

The collaboration brings JERA Ventures into Newlab’s public-private innovation hub, where startups gain access to lab space and high-end machinery to commercialize technologies aimed at cutting emissions and improving industrial efficiency.

The move builds momentum as Newlab prepares to open its fifth global hub next fall at the former Naval Support Activity site, adding New Orleans to a network that includes Riyadh and Detroit. JERA’s footprint in Louisiana is already growing—from a joint venture on CF Industries’ planned $4 billion low-carbon ammonia plant to investments in solar generation and Haynesville shale assets—positioning the company as a significant player in the state’s clean-energy transition.

Read the full story.

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Louisiana

Fed’s ‘Catahoula Crunch’ finished its first week in Louisiana

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Federal immigration authorities are keeping a tight lid on key details as “Catahoula Crunch” closes its first week in southeast Louisiana, Verite writes.

The operation—one of Department of Homeland Security’s largest recent urban crackdowns—began with raids at home-improvement stores and aims for 5,000 arrests, according to plans previously reviewed by the Associated Press. While DHS publicly highlighted arrests of immigrants with violent criminal records, AP data shows fewer than one-third of the 38 detainees in the first two days had prior convictions.

Meanwhile, advocacy groups report widespread fear in Hispanic communities, with residents avoiding hospitals, schools, workplaces and even grocery stores amid sightings of federal agents.

Business impacts are already visible: restaurants and Hispanic-serving corridors like Broad Street appear unusually quiet, with staff shortages forcing menu cuts and temporary closures. School absenteeism has doubled in Jefferson Parish, and protests have spread across New Orleans and surrounding suburbs as local leaders demand transparency around federal tactics.

Read the full story.

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