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A grand jury has indicted a Louisiana sheriff whose office came under investigation after 10 inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail in a brazen breakout that occurred under her watch.
According to the NY Post, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson is not accused of directly aiding the inmates in their escape through a hole behind a toilet—a breach that triggered a weeks-long manhunt before all the fugitives were eventually recaptured. However, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said a state investigation found that Hutson’s poor management of the jail contributed to the incident. The 30-count indictment handed down by a New Orleans grand jury charges Hutson with malfeasance, obstruction of justice, and falsifying public records.
“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,” Murrill said in a statement.
In a farewell address on Tuesday, Hutson acknowledged the challenges faced by her office, saying the jailbreak “tested us to the limit.” She added that her team “responded with professionalism, urgency, and resilience, and we came out stronger because of it.”
Court records show Hutson’s bond has been set at $300,000, and she has been ordered to surrender her passport and remain in the state. Bianka Brown, the chief financial officer of the sheriff’s office, was also indicted on 20 similar charges. She did not immediately respond to calls or text messages sent to numbers linked to her.
The escapees reportedly left behind graffiti reading “Too easy LOL” after crawling through a hole behind a jail toilet and scaling a barbed-wire fence. Authorities did not realize the inmates were missing for more than seven hours.
State officials and some city leaders have accused Hutson of poor management, criticizing her for failing to promptly alert law enforcement agencies.
Hutson initially blamed political opponents for orchestrating the jailbreak but provided no evidence to support the claim. She also cited faulty door locks as a contributing factor, noting that she had sought funding to address the jail’s deteriorating infrastructure.
