10 inmates escape New Orleans jail; manhunt and investigation underway

New Orleans Jail escape: Manhunt continues for several escapees

Ten inmates escaped from a New Orleans Jail last week. Now, questions are swirling about how that exactly happened and who may have helped them.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - A large-scale manhunt is still underway after ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish jail on Friday, triggering public outcry and a criminal investigation from inside the facility. 

According to officials, the inmates fled the facility several hours before a scheduled headcount. Surveillance footage shows them breaking through a defective door, scaling a barbed-wire fence with the help of a blanket, and running across a dark stretch of Interstate 10 still wearing jail-issued jumpsuits.

Images of a hole in the jail’s infrastructure and videos of inmates forcing open a facility door have circulated widely on social media.

Sheriff Susan Hutson has come under fire for what critics say was a delayed response in alerting the public that ten inmates — some facing serious and violent charges, were on the loose. Five of the escapees have since been recaptured, but five remain at large as of Tuesday night. Rewards of up to $20,000 have been offered for information leading to their capture.

"This is something we’ve never seen before — especially in New Orleans," said Justin Brown, a former police officer who now runs a public safety-focused Instagram account. "At this point, everyone’s just trying to make sure everyone is safe — victims, witnesses, co-defendants, judges, prosecutors. Anyone involved in these cases could be at risk."

FULL VIDEO: Inmates escape from New Orleans Jail, former police officer reacts

FOX 26 spoke with a former police officer after 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail on Friday.

Amid the fallout, a jail maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, has been arrested and charged with principal to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. His bond has been set at $1 million.

Sheriff Hutson has publicly accepted responsibility for the incident and acknowledged deficiencies at the jail, including faulty locks, not enough staff, and structural issues.