Maintenance worker was arrested for helping ten inmates break into a jail in New Orleans

A maintenance worker was jailed for helping ten prisoners break into a jail in New Orleans by cutting off their water supply.

Ten prisoners from the Orleans Parish Jail in New Orleans, Louisiana, participated in a spectacular jailbreak, and a maintenance worker has been taken into custody in relation to the incident. In the early hours of May 16, an escape took place by breaking down a toilet and taking advantage of the building’s structural flaws.

Sterling Williams, 33, was the suspect, and he was arrested Monday evening, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. By purposefully cutting off the water supply to the jail cell used for the escape, Williams is accused of enabling the inmates to take the toilet down from the wall and gain access to the equipment behind it.

Several of the escapees were charged with violent crimes, including murder, officials said. On the day of the escape, three prisoners were taken again, and on Monday, a fourth was captured, but six more are still at large.

“Instead of reporting the inmate, Williams followed instructions to turn off the water, which allowed the inmates to successfully execute their escape plan,” Attorney General Murrill said in a statement. Williams had acknowledged working with one of the prisoners who gave him the order to turn off the water supply, she continued.

Williams is currently being charged with ten charges of simple escape and one more offense of official misconduct. About the accusations, he has not commented in public.

Murrill encouraged anyone with knowledge to come forward freely, especially if they may have helped with the escape, as the inquiry is still ongoing. “To the fullest extent permitted by law, anyone who aided and abetted will face prosecution,” she declared.

The escape route’s descriptions and photos were made public by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. The inmates initially removed the sliding cell door at around 12:23 a.m. local time, according to Sheriff Susan Hutson. Following that, they tore the toilet off the wall, revealing a plumbing and metal bar hole behind it. According to reports, the group broke through the bars and ran across a neighboring roadway after scaling a wall.

Sheriff’s office photos reveal neatly cut bars and graffiti the escapees left behind, including the mocking words “To Easy LoL” with an arrow pointing to the hole and a grinning face with its tongue protruding. An additional blurry note seems to urge police to “catch us when you can.”

About 3 kilometers (2 miles) separate the Orleans Parish Jail from the city’s famed French Quarter. The facility’s security procedures are being examined more closely as a result of the well-publicized escape.