Ten inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail last week did so by orchestrating a plumbing crisis to aid their escape, according to a defense attorney representing a maintenance worker now charged in connection with the incident, as per The AP.
Sterling Williams, 33, was arrested earlier this week and faces 10 counts of principal to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. Authorities allege that Williams helped facilitate the breakout by shutting off water to a toilet, enabling the inmates to escape through a hole behind it. Five escapees remain at large.
But on Wednesday, Williams’ attorney, Michael Kennedy, presented a different version of events. He said that Williams was unaware of the inmates’ plan and merely responded to a service call for an overflowing toilet.
Kennedy asserted that Williams had no knowledge of the escape route or the inmates’ intentions. He added that claims about Williams being threatened into compliance were being taken out of context. According to an arrest affidavit, Williams eventually told investigators that one of the inmates had threatened to “shank” him unless he turned off the water.
Kennedy dismissed the threat as casual jailhouse banter, not a credible danger.
The attorney also noted that the cell in question — designated for disabled inmates — should not have been in use at all. “This cell should have been locked down,” Kennedy said.
Authorities have maintained that Williams had a role in enabling the escape, which has been described as one of the largest in recent U.S. history. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson has called it an “inside job,” though no further official comment has been made in response to Kennedy’s claims.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill toured the jail Wednesday. DA Williams stated that “certainly more than one person” was responsible for the escape, but declined to offer further details.
Kennedy criticized the sheriff’s office for what he called an attempt to make Williams a scapegoat.
Williams is currently being held in a separate facility in another parish due to concerns for his safety.
Two more people were arrested Wednesday in connection with the jailbreak. Cortnie Harris, 32, of New Orleans, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, of Slidell, are each charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact.
According to a Louisiana State Police press release, Harris was in phone contact with an escapee still on the run and helped transport two escapees to different locations across the city. Baptiste, who had communicated via phone and social media with recaptured escapee Corey Boyd, allegedly helped provide food while Boyd was in hiding.
Both suspects are being held at the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center. Jail records did not indicate whether either had legal representation.
The manhunt continues for the five remaining fugitives.
