Police make more arrests of those they say helped Louisiana inmates escape

More people have been accused of helping 10 jail inmates escape from a New Orleans center last week, including another inmate.

Police arrested two more women in connection with allegedly helping 10 inmates break out of Orleans Parish Jail last week, the third and fourth women arrested in connection with assisting the escape.

Connie Weeden, 59, and Casey Smith, 30, were arrested Thursday and each charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact for allegedly “assisting the fugitives” in the May 16 incident, according to police.

Louisiana State Police announced Weeden’s arrest Thursday. The New Orleans Police Department announced Smith’s arrest on Friday.

The women were booked in correction centers in the New Orleans Metropolitan area and it is unclear whether they retained lawyers.

Later Friday, authorities announced the arrest of two other people accused of assisting in the escape.

Emmitt Weber, 28, was taken into custody at a New Orleans home after he allegedly helped two of the inmates flee, the New Orleans Police Department said in a statement. He was arrested on suspicion of accessory after the fact of simple escape, the department said.

Trevon Williams, who was in custody at Orleans Parish Jail during the escape, was charged with principle to simple escape, the Louisiana Attorney General’s office said in a statement.

Williams, 23, was rebooked with the additional charges, according to the prosecutor’s office.

It wasn’t immediately clear if they have lawyers to speak on their behalf.

So far, five of the escapees have been found and arrested while five remain “unaccounted for,” police said.

Two other women, Cortnie Harris and Corvanntay Baptiste, were arrested and charged on Wednesday for allegedly being accessories after the fact in assisting the jailbreak.

The NOPD said in a statement on Friday that Smith worked with Harris and “admitted to her role in aiding the escapees’ transport.” Police said Smith aided “at least two of the reported escapees as they were transported to multiple locations in the hours following their escape.”

A maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, was arrested and charged on Tuesday for allegedly cutting a prison cell’s water supply so the inmates could remove a toilet and escape through a hole behind it.

Police said their investigation found that Weeden was in phone contact with one of the still-missing fugitives, Jermaine Donald, both before and after the escape.

“Furthermore, investigators determined that after the escape, Weeden provided cash to Donald via a cell phone app,” police said.

The three women each face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Police said that officers from local, state and federal agencies “will continue to pursue every lead until the remaining fugitives are located,” as the search for the missing men could stretch into its second week.

“Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable,” the police statement added.

Anyone with information about the fugitives’ whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI, Crimestoppers, or the Louisiana State Police. For information that leads to arrests, there are combined rewards of $20,000.