Two inmates accused of violent crimes, including second-degree attempted murder, are on the run after escaping from a south-western Louisiana jail on Wednesday by removing pieces of a deteriorating interior wall and using sheets to scale another outside wall, officials said.
A third inmate who joined in the breakout died by suicide after he was tracked down.
It was only the latest bold jail escape in Louisiana. In May, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail after crawling through a hole behind a toilet. It wasn’t until five months later – following the discovery of the escape crime scene with a message that read “To Easy LoL”, finger-pointing by officials as to who was to blame for the audacious escape and a search that spanned multiple states – that all 10 inmates were recaptured.
Wednesday morning’s escape, which took place at the St Landry parish jail in Opelousas, Louisiana, involved three inmates. Sheriff Bobby J Guidroz, who oversees the jail in question about 130 miles (209km) north-west of New Orleans, said the “inmates discovered a degrading part of an upper wall area and, over time, removed the mortar allowing them to remove concrete blocks and provide their exit”.
The inmates then used “sheets and other items” to scale the outer wall and “drop on to” the first floor roof, before “lowering themselves to the ground”, Guidroz said in a press release.
Additional details about the escape were not immediately available. Guidroz said it will be investigated internally.
The sheriff’s office identified the two escaped inmates still on the loose as Keith Eli, 24, of Opelousas, who was facing a second-degree attempted murder charge, and Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, also of Opelousas, who was facing several charges, including principal to first-degree rape.
The third escaper, Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, of Melville, who faced several felony charges, including home invasion, died by his own hand after he was found, the Port Barre, Louisiana, police chief, Deon Boudreaux, said by telephone.
After a tipster who recognized Harrington told police on Thursday that he was seen pushing a black e-bike, an officer spotted the e-bike at a nearby home. Police used a loudspeaker to urge Harrington to come out of the house, and they later heard a gunshot. Harrington was found dead inside the home. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.
St Landry sheriff’s department spokesperson Maj Mark LeBlanc wasn’t aware of the jail being breached in a similar way in the past – but noted that anyone will try to escape with enough time and opportunity.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he said.
There’s no credible indications that the remaining fugitives have left the parish (Louisiana’s term for county), and LeBlanc warned residents to secure their homes and vehicles.
“They’re charged with violent felonies and we know they’re desperate to get away,” he said.
Anyone who helps the fugitives will be prosecuted, he added.
