In brief
The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office is actively seeking Keith Eli, the final fugitive of three inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail by breaking through a crumbling wall. Eli, who faces serious charges, remains elusive as one escapee has already been recaptured and another has died by suicide after being cornered by police. Sheriff Guidroz confirms that the jailbreak will undergo an internal review to prevent future incidents.
OPPLOUSAS, La. (AP) — A manhunt is underway for the last of three inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail after dismantling parts of a crumbling wall.
Officials have disclosed that Keith Eli, age 24, remains at large three days after he and two accomplices made their escape from a southwest Louisiana correctional facility. According to Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz, Eli was previously held on charges including second-degree murder.
Authorities confirmed that one of the escapees, 24-year-old Johnathan Jevon Joseph, surrendered Friday after a brief chase. Police received a tip about his location, found him hiding in a shed, and he gave up without resistance. Joseph was charged with rape and other serious offenses.
Meanwhile, the third escapee, 26-year-old Joseph Allen Harrington, tragically took his own life with a rifle during a standoff with police after they urged him to come out from a residence. Harrington was facing multiple felony charges at the time of his escape.
This incident is not isolated; in May, ten inmates had escaped from a New Orleans jail, prompting a multi-state search that lasted for months before their recapture.
Sheriff Guidroz stated that the inmates exploited a deteriorating section of the jail's upper wall, gradually removing mortar to slip through. Once free, they used sheets to scale the outer wall, drop onto a roof, and lower themselves to the ground. Investigations into jail security protocols and the escape route are currently underway.
