NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – A grand jury has indicted Susan Hutson, the Orleans Parish Sheriff, following a months-long investigation into the escape of 10 inmates.
The jailbreak occurred during Hutson's term. The inmates escaped by crawling through a hole behind a toilet, climbing over a barbed wire fence, and leaving behind a note that read “Too Easy LoL” at the scene.
According to Liz Murrill, the state investigation did not conclude that Hutson directly assisted in the escape. However, the findings showed that poor management of the jail created the conditions for the incident to occur.
The indictment includes 30 counts, including malfeasance in office, obstruction of justice, and falsifying public records.
“While Ms. Hutson did not directly open the door for the inmates, her failure to comply with basic legal requirements and lack of preventive measures directly led to the escape,” the Louisiana Attorney General stated.
After fleeing, the inmates remained at large for months before all were eventually recaptured. Notably, the jail did not discover the inmates were missing for more than seven hours after the incident occurred.
Court records show that Hutson was released on a $300,000 bond and was ordered to surrender her passport and not leave the state.
In addition, the sheriff’s office’s Chief Financial Officer, Bianka Brown, was also indicted on 20 similar counts.
The Orleans jail system has long faced serious issues such as violence, lax management, and understaffing, despite receiving tens of millions of dollars in investment and being under federal oversight since 2013.
