A jail maintenance worker in the US city of New Orleans has been arrested for allegedly helping 10 inmates escape from a correctional facility last week - an incident that investigators believe would not have been possible without insider involvement, the New York Times reported.
The accused, 33-year-old Sterling Williams, is facing one count of malfeasance in office and 10 counts of principal to simple escape. Authorities said Williams deliberately shut off the water supply in a jail section, allowing inmates to remove a metal sink and toilet from a cell wall. The inmates then used a tool to cut through steel bars and crawled out through a small hole they left behind, along with a graffiti message that read, "Too easy, LOL."
According to court documents, Williams told investigators that he acted under duress after one of the inmates - identified as Antoine Massey - allegedly threatened to stab him if he refused to cooperate. Instead of reporting the threat, Williams accessed a concealed maintenance area and turned off the water supply.
Officials said the escapees managed to leave through a loading dock, scale a wall, and flee across a nearby interstate highway. The breakout went unnoticed for nearly seven hours, until a headcount at 8:30 am the next morning revealed the inmates were missing. At the time of the escape, the only staffer monitoring the jail's security systems was reportedly away from his post to get food.
Four of the ten escapees have been recaptured so far. A manhunt is underway for the remaining six, including Massey.
Sheriff Susan Hutson of Orleans Parish said the operation was too elaborate to have been carried out without internal support. "It's almost impossible not to completely, but almost for anybody to get out of this facility without help," she said at a press conference.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. "We will uncover all the facts eventually, and anyone who aided and abetted will be prosecuted to the full extent the law allows," she said, urging others involved to come forward.
Williams is expected to appear in court for the first time on Tuesday.
