(NewsNation) — A search is underway after 10 inmates escaped in New Orleans, with police warning the public that they are considered armed and dangerous.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson corrected previously released information of 11 inmates having escaped, saying inmate Keith Lewis was in a different cell during count.
20-year-old Kendell Myles and Robert Moody, 21 and Dkenan Dennis, 24, were captured. According to local reporting, Myles was previously accused of escaping another facility and was identified and located based on facial recognition.
Moody was captured in the 3500 block of Second Street with the help of a Crime Stoppers tip. Dennis was apprehended near Chef Menteur Highway and Dale Street.
In a press conference, Hutson said defective locks on cells allowed inmates to escape and said that was an issue she has been trying to address since she got into office.
Authorities said three employees have been suspended pending investigation.
There is a $2,000 reward on each individual caught through Crime Stoppers. The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward. Tips can be submitted to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting the FBI’s website.
Inmates who escaped in New Orleans. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Robert Moody escaped from custody. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Leo Tate escaped from custody. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Lenton Vanburan escapoed from custody. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Jermaine Donald escaped from custody. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Gary Price escaped from custody. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Dkenan Dennis escaped from custody. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Derrik Groves escaped from custody. (New Orleans Police Department) 
Corey Boyd escaped from custody (New Orleans Police Department) 
Antoine Massey escaped from custody. (New Orleans Police Department)
How the New Orleans inmates escaped
OPSO officials released a set of images of a hole in the wall where they believe the inmates escaped from. The hole appears to be behind a toilet in an inmate’s cell.
Hutson addressed the lapse in security, citing defective locks on the cell. She adds that the escapees possibly received assistance from individuals inside the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“At approximately 12:23 a.m., the detainees began tampering with a locked cell door, ultimately breaking it open. A Correctional Monitoring Technician in the Control Module was present, but the detainees were able to breach a wall behind a toilet in their housing unit which was out of view. The detainees exited the jail through a door at approximately 1:01 a.m., scaling a wall and running across the interstate shortly after. Video surveillance confirms that they exited through a door in the docks where supplies are brought into the jail,” said Hutson.
Authorities warned that anyone assisting the escapees will face charges.
Victims or witnesses from the trials of any of the inmates are also being asked to call the police so they can get protection if needed.
New Orleans manhunt: What is known about those who escaped
- Antoine Massey, 33
- Charged: Domestic abuse battery/ strangulation
- Lenton Vanburen, 27
- Charged: Illegal carrying weapons, illegal possession
- Leo Tate, 31
- Charged: Simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, possession of a firearm, illegal carrying of a weapon with a controlled substance
- Derrick Groves, 27
- Convicted: Second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder
- Jermaine Donald, 42
- Charged: Second-degree murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm
- Corey Boyd, 20
- Charged: Second-degree murder, aggravated battery
- Gary Price, 21
- Charged: Three counts of attempted murder
- Robert Moody, 21
- Dkenan Dennis, 24
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry took to the social platform X, where he posted, “If you think this will fly in Louisiana you are DEAD WRONG. Every single one of you will be caught!”
Hutson also condemned those who she says are treating the escape as a political issue.
“This is a public safety issue, and we all need to continue to work together to solve it and get these folks back in custody,” she said.
Hutson said there is an indication that the inmates had help from individuals inside the department in their escape.
“There were supervisors on duty. There were lower-level folks on duty, and they all had a job to do, and we’re going to find out exactly what happened,” she said.
The Orleans Justice Center was placed on lockdown Friday after multiple inmates escaped from the jail. According to NewsNation local affiliate WGNO, the inmates were discovered missing during a headcount around 8:30 a.m. and are believed to have escaped around midnight.
The media were not told of the escape until around 10:50 a.m. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on X that there will be an investigation into what happened and called the delay “unacceptable.”
“It’s all hands on deck. The first priority in any escape must be the immediate capture of the inmates and coordination with state and local law enforcement — but that effort cannot come at the expense of timely notification to the public,” she said.
The public is being advised to stay alert and aware.
NewsNation affiliate WGNO contributed to this report.