Orleans Parish Sheriff and CFO indicted after last year’s jail escape of 10 Louisiana inmates
By Taylor Romine, Devon Sayers, CNN
(CNN) — Almost a year after 10 Louisiana inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail, the Orleans Parish sheriff and the office’s chief financial officer were indicted by a special grand jury on charges of malfeasance and other crimes in relation to the jailbreak.
Ten prisoners housed in the Orleans Justice Center made their escape last spring, maneuvering out of a small hole in a wall and making their way out into the night. All 10 escapees were eventually recaptured, and 13 people were charged with helping the escapees, both inside jail and once they were at large.
Susan Hutson, the current Orleans Sheriff, was indicted on 30 felony charges, including malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records, and obstruction of justice, among other charges, the attorney general’s office said in a release Wednesday.
Bianka Brown, the chief financial officer for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, was also indicted on 20 similar felony charges of malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records, and obstruction of justice, according to the attorney general’s office.
CNN has reached out to Hutson and Brown for comment and is working to identify their attorneys.
“While Sheriff Hutson did not personally open the doors of the jail for the escapees, her refusal to comply with basic legal requirements and to take even minimal precautions in the discharge of her duties directly contributed to and enabled the escape,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a news release announcing the charges.
A $300,000 bond was set for Hutson, and a $200,000 bond was set for Brown, according to court records. Both were ordered to surrender their passports and not leave the state, court records show.
About a week after the jailbreak, Hutson announced she would no longer be seeking reelection as sheriff. She is in her last days of office and soon will be replaced by Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork.
Hutson faced tough questions from local officials last year about the jail’s persistent problems that they said stemmed from inadequate funding or poor management.
At the time, Hutson said she took “full accountability” for the “failure,” but also pointed to the alleged involvement of jail staff.
“There were procedural failures. And missed notifications. But there were also intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort aided by individuals inside our own agency who made the choice to break the law. One arrest has been made, and we are continuing to pursue everyone involved and that investigation is active and ongoing,” the sheriff said during a tense city council meeting last year.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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CNN’s Maria Aguilar Prieto contributed to this report
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