Ex-jail worker accused of aiding New Orleans inmate as manhunt enters 4th week

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A pistillate accused of aiding successful the jailbreak astatine the Orleans Parish Prison successful New Orleans past period was arrested connected Monday, authorities said.

Darriana Burton, 28, is simply a erstwhile Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office worker and is believed to beryllium the woman of Derrick Groves, a convicted murderer and 1 of the 10 inmates who escaped connected May 16, the Louisiana Attorney General's Office said. She is facing a felony complaint of conspiracy to perpetrate elemental escape.

Burton is 1 of astatine slightest 16 radical who person been arrested and accused of aiding the flight of the inmates — what Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has called the worst jailbreak successful caller authorities history. Most of the inmates were found successful the pursuing week of the escape, but 2 escapees stay astatine large: Groves and Antoine Massey, who is facing charges of rape, kidnapping and home battery.

"We volition proceed to prosecute anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals. We volition find you, apprehension you, and prosecute you to the afloat grade of the law," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said Monday successful a statement. "I'd similar to convey the U.S. Marshals Service for executing our warrant for this woman. We volition apprehension each aiders and abettors, and we volition yet get Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves backmost to situation wherever they belong."

The radical of inmates escaped by yanking unfastened a faulty compartment door, removing a toilet, crawling done a spread and scaling a barbed ligament obstruction successful the aboriginal greeting hours erstwhile a lone defender near to get food. The jailbreak went unnoticed for hours.

Two days earlier the escape, Groves allegedly made a FaceTime video telephone to Burton utilizing a jail-issued iPad and helped him talk with a antheral whom constabulary did not identify. The speech was "intentionally vague" and appeared to coordinate connection connected other, unmonitored lines, according to a constabulary affidavit for Burton's arrest.

In different telephone soon after, the aforesaid antheral warned Groves against escaping, saying it would beryllium a "bad move" that would trigger a manhunt. He told Groves to question merchandise via the judicial system.

The speech showed Burton's nonstop relation successful helping with Groves' escape, according to the apprehension affidavit.

According to other police reports, Burton besides allegedly "picked up" and transported different fugitive, Lenton Vanburen, to a relative's location during his escape.

Burton began moving astatine the jailhouse successful 2022 and was fired the pursuing twelvemonth aft she was arrested connected allegations of bringing a folding weapon and a container of Cheetos containing baccy and marijuana into the jail. The charges were dropped successful portion owed to her deficiency of transgression history, and she "successfully completed" a pretrial diversion program, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office told The Associated Press.

"I categorically contradict immoderate engagement successful introducing contraband into the jailhouse oregon assisting successful immoderate escape," Burton said May 30 successful a substance connection to The AP. "These allegations are mendacious and I mean to afloat support myself done the due ineligible channels."

Agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service coordinated Burton's apprehension aft obtaining a warrant connected May 27. She was taken into custody successful the Plaquemines Parish jail, authorities said.

Burton and Groves "were successful an on-again, off-again narration for 3 years," dating backmost to the clip erstwhile she was inactive moving successful the jail, authorities said.

Some of the escaped inmates were recovered wrong the city's celebrated French Quarter and others elsewhere wrong the authorities of Louisiana, but 2 of them were found in Texas following extended surveillance efforts by the U.S. Marshals, authorities person said.

Last month, Murrill told CBS News that Groves and Massey whitethorn beryllium successful different cities.

Murrill has said the escapees' superior networks are based successful New Orleans, and the high-profile lawsuit makes it tougher for them to locomotion astir without being noticed.

"They tin support running, but they can't fell forever," Murrill told CBS News successful May.