2 accused of helping New Orleans inmates who escaped from jail
Two people have been arrested and accused of helping some of the 10 inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail, the Louisiana State Police announced Wednesday.
Cortnie Harris, 32, of New Orleans, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, of Slidell, Louisiana, were arrested, state police said in a statement. They were each charged with being accessories after the fact, a felony.
According to police, Harris allegedly transported two of the escaped inmates to multiple locations in New Orleans. The state police didn't identify the inmates but said they're among the five who are still on the run.
Before Friday's escape, Harris was also allegedly in contact over the phone with an inmate who's still at large, state police said. The inmate wasn't identified.
Baptiste allegedly helped escaped inmate Corey Boyd get food while he was hiding in a residence, police said. Boyd, 19, was captured Tuesday in New Orleans.
If convicted, Harris and Baptiste would each face a maximum prison sentence of five years.
A third person accused of helping the inmates escape was arrested on Monday. Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the New Orleans jail, allegedly told investigators he was threatened by one of the inmates who took part in the jailbreak, according to court documents filed by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation.
Williams' attorney, Michael Kennedy, said in a statement to CBS News on Wednesday that his client didn't conspire with the inmates or act out of fear. He said Williams will plead not guilty to the felony charges he's facing over allegedly turning off the water to the cell that the inmates used to escape.
According to Kennedy, a sheriff's deputy told Williams that the toilet in the cell was overflowing, and she asked him to look at it. According to authorities, the inmates removed the toilet from the cell to escape through the wall.
"It would seem clear that the escaped inmates clogged the toilet in an effort to ensure someone would have to turn the water off," Kennedy said.
The attorney said the cell was an accessible one that shouldn't have been in use.
Kennedy said his client "was merely a tool that the escapees used to further their plan- without his knowledge."
