Jail Worker Charged With Helping 10 Inmates Escape New Orleans Jail

A New Orleans jail worker has been charged with helping 10 inmates escape the jail.

The inmates were able to escape the Orleans Justice Center on Friday by breaking into a cell, moving a toilet and squeezing out through a small opening in the wall — leaving behind grafitti reading “To Easy LoL.” Sterling Williams, the 33-year-old jail worker, has now been charged with 10 counts of principle to simple escape and malfeasance in office for allegedly turning off the water connected to the toilet, allowing the men to move it. According to an arrest warrant, Williams said one of the inmates threatened to “shank” him if he didn’t turn off the water, the Associated Press reported. But police said that Williams “willfully and maliciously assisted with the escape,” according to the AP.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the jail, said in a city council meeting Tuesday that she “takes full accountability” for the inmates escaping the jail.

“There were procedural failures and missed notifications, but there were also intentional wrongdoings — this was a coordinated effort aided by individuals inside our own agency who made the choice to break the law,” Hutson said. “We are continuing to pursue everyone involved.”

Louisiana state Rep. Aimee Freeman (D) called on Hutson to resign.

“Your job as the sheriff is to protect the people that you serve and you’re not protecting the people you serve,” Freeman told WVUE. “You should resign.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement that it’s a “continuing investigation.”

“We will uncover all the facts eventually, and anyone who aided and abetted will be prosecuted to the full extent the law allows,” Murrill said. “I encourage anyone who knows anything and even those who may have provided assistance to come forward now to obtain the best possible outcome in their particular case.”

Six of the 10 inmates are still on the run, and many of the 10 were in jail because they were charged with violent offenses, like murder, according to the AP.

Headcounts of inmates typically start around 6:30 a.m. and are completed within the hour, according to the AP. But police weren’t notified about the escape until 10:30 a.m., more than nine hours after the inmates fled.