An inmate, Antoine Massey, has made headlines after allegedly threatening a maintenance worker to assist him and nine other men in a daring escape from a New Orleans jail. This latest incident is not Massey's first encounter with the law regarding prison breaks; he previously escaped from a detention center in North Louisiana in 2019, according to authorities.
In August 2019, Massey and another inmate executed a well-planned escape from the Morehouse Parish Detention Center in Collinston. The pair managed to cut through the wire of a chain-link fence in the exercise yard and crawled under it during broad daylight. A vehicle with Texas license plates was spotted in the vicinity, believed to be the getaway car that picked them up shortly after their escape. Even though deputies and correction officers arrived promptly at the scene, the inmates had disappeared. They were eventually recaptured later that same day in Lancaster, Texas.
Authorities were alerted to Massey's second escape on Monday. The Louisiana State Police reached out to the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office over the weekend for information regarding Massey. Chief James Mardis of the sheriff's office was unaware of the specific charges against Massey at the time of his escape and noted that there had been no previous jailbreaks by him before 2019. “It didn’t surprise me because he was known for that,” Mardis remarked after learning about Massey’s most recent escape.
According to a search warrant affidavit, a maintenance worker named Sterling Williams was threatened by Massey, who allegedly warned him that he would be attacked with a shank if he did not turn off the water supply to their cell. Williams, who works with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, “willfully and maliciously assisted” with the escape by complying with Massey’s demands. If the water had remained on, the escape plan would have likely failed, potentially flooding the cell and alerting officers to their actions.
As of Tuesday, six inmates, including Massey, remain at large, prompting heightened security measures in New Orleans. The district attorney’s office has reported that some staff members have temporarily left the area due to safety concerns. The escapees face serious charges, including aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment with a weapon, and murder. They managed to break out of the Orleans Justice Center through a hole behind a metal toilet just after midnight on Friday.
Williams was arrested on Tuesday and faces multiple charges, including one count of malfeasance in office and ten counts of principal to simple escape. His arrest comes amid rising tensions between local and state officials as they work to identify everyone involved in this audacious escape. It remains unclear whether Williams has retained legal counsel.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated that officials believe Williams had been involved in the escape conspiracy for a longer period than just the night of the jailbreak. “We think that it was more than just that night,” she revealed, though specific details regarding the timeline were not disclosed. An agent from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation described Williams as initially “evasive and untruthful” before he began to provide credible information regarding his involvement.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson emphasized the coordinated nature of the escape, stating, “This was a coordinated effort, aided by individuals inside our own agency, who made the choice to break the law.” She assured the public that the agency is committed to pursuing all individuals involved in this serious breach of security.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities continue to work diligently to recapture the escapees and ensure the safety of the community.
