A maintenance worker at a New Orleans jail is under arrest. He’s accused of helping 10 inmates escape last week. The worker, 33-year-old Sterling Williams, allegedly cut off water to a cellblock. This allowed the inmates to break through a wall and escape.
Police have caught four of the escapees so far. Six are still on the loose. The escaped inmates include four men charged with second-degree murder.
According to Orleans Parish District Attorney Liz Merrick, Williams faces 10 counts of assisting escape and one count of malfeasance. He’s being held at a different jail.
Three other jail employees are on leave while the investigation continues.
Merrick says Williams confessed to helping the inmates. He claims one of the inmates, Antone Massie, threatened to kill him if he didn’t cooperate.
Investigation findings
Police reports say Williams told investigators that Massie threatened him. There’s also surveillance footage showing Williams talking to Massie and another escaped inmate, Derrick Groves. Williams claims Groves tried to take his phone and gave him a book with information about a money transfer app.
The investigation found that Williams’ actions allowed the inmates to escape. If he hadn’t cut off the water, the plan wouldn’t have worked. The water would have flooded the area and alerted guards.
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