OPELOUSAS, La. (OnPoint) — Law enforcement is on high alert as authorities continue searching for the last of three inmates who escaped a Louisiana jail. The escape unfolded after the inmates managed to dismantle part of a decaying wall, raising concerns over jail security protocols.
St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz confirmed that 24-year-old Keith Eli is still at large after fleeing with two companions from the parish jail located in southwestern Louisiana. Eli had been charged with second-degree murder at the time of his escape.
The situation intensified when one of the escapees, Johnathan Jevon Joseph, was apprehended last Friday following a brief chase. Authorities found him hiding then cornered him at a storage shed, leading to his surrender. Joseph faced serious charges, including rape.
Tragically, the third inmate, 26-year-old Joseph Allen Harrington, took his own life after police attempted to contact him at a residence where he was located. Authorities had urged him to exit peacefully before the incident occurred, with Harrington facing several felony charges, including home invasion.
Sheriff Guidroz stated the escape occurred as the inmates discovered an increasingly degraded section of the upper jail wall, which allowed them to gradually extract concrete blocks until they could slip through. After breaching the wall, they used bedsheets to climb down to the ground.
The sheriff also indicated there would be an internal investigation regarding the circumstances of the escape, as the incident is reminiscent of a previous mass breakout from a New Orleans jail earlier this year when ten inmates escaped through a hole behind a toilet.
As the search for Keith Eli continues, Sheriff Guidroz urges him to voluntarily surrender. 'We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably,' he remarked emphatically, reiterating the commitment of law enforcement to ensuring the safety and security of the local community.
