Khaberni - In the style of Hollywood films, the state of Louisiana, USA, witnesses a large-scale manhunt for a dangerous prisoner after an exciting escape he executed with two others through a gap in the prison wall.
According to reports from The Associated Press, "CNN" and "People" magazine, rapid response teams have been pursuing Keith Eliot, 24, accused of second-degree murder, since he escaped from St. Landry Parish Jail in Opelousas, about 150 miles from New Orleans, on the evening of Wednesday, December 3.
Police Chief Bobby Guidroz said: "We will continue our relentless efforts to capture Keith Eliot, we would prefer he surrender peacefully, but we will not rest until he is arrested."
The other two escapees, who participated in the operation, faced different fates; Jonathan Gofun Joseph (24 years old) was caught after a chase on Friday, while Joseph Allen Harrington (26 years old) committed suicide with a shotgun after his home was surrounded on Thursday.
Attempt to Surrender
Police Chief of Port Barre, Deon Bodro, stated that officers used loudspeakers to persuade Harrington to surrender before finding him deceased, who was facing a series of charges including housebreaking and theft.
Reports added that Joseph, who was found hiding in a storage room, was detained on serious charges, including rape and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Concrete Blocks
Authorities confirmed that the three prisoners removed concrete blocks from a humiliating wall and dug an opening through which they used sheets to descend to the ground and escape, while an internal investigation was opened and a detailed report was submitted for "appropriate action".
However, the crisis turned into a public exchange of accusations within the local administration, as the parish president, Jessie Bellard, denied any structural problems in the jail, and wrote in a Facebook post: "The talk about wall collapses and rusting locks is inaccurate, and I call on the sheriff to provide documents proving his claims".
The recent escape reminds of a similar incident that the state experienced last May, when 10 prisoners escaped from Orleans Parish through a hole behind the toilet, leaving behind a mocking message on the wall: "Very easy LOL".
At the time, authorities accused a maintenance worker of helping the prisoners by turning off the water, which facilitated their dismantling of the structure and creating a hole in the wall.
This dramatic operation ended in October, after a months-long manhunt, with the arrest of the last escapee, Derick Groves, who was found hiding in a cramped space in a house in Atlanta, after a three-hour operation that involved the use of tear gas.
