Three more inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail on May 16 were arrested Monday in Louisiana and Texas, bringing the total number of recaptured escapees to eight out of ten who broke out earlier this month, authorities said.
Lenton Vanburen was arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by local police. Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were arrested in Walker County, Texas, by officials there, according to Louisiana State Police posts on X.
Two inmates remain on the run, state police said. Authorities did not immediately release other details about Monday’s arrests.
The arrests follow the capture of five other escapees. Dkenan Dennis, Corey Boyd, Gary C. Price, Kendell Myles and Robert Moody were previously taken back into custody by authorities after the May 16 jailbreak.
The ten inmates escaped in what authorities called an audacious breakout from the New Orleans jail. The men yanked open a faulty cell door inside the jail, squeezed through a hole behind a toilet, scaled a barbed-wire fence, and fled under cover of darkness.
The inmates’ absence was not discovered until a morning headcount, hours after they escaped. Graffiti left on the wall included the message “To Easy LoL,” with an arrow pointing to the gap they used to escape.
City and state officials have identified multiple security lapses at the jail that allowed the escape to occur. Many of the escaped inmates were originally held in the New Orleans jail awaiting sentences or trials for alleged violent crimes including murder.
After the escape, authorities arrested a jail maintenance worker who was accused of turning off the water to the toilet, which officials said helped the inmates get out of their cell. The maintenance worker told authorities he had been threatened by one of the inmates and said he would be harmed if he refused to turn off the water.
Four other people have been arrested for allegedly helping the inmates after they escaped from the jail. Authorities have not released details about how these individuals assisted the escapees or their specific charges.
The two remaining escapees are still being sought by authorities. Police have not indicated whether they believe the remaining fugitives are still in the New Orleans area or have fled to other locations.
The May 16 escape represents one of the most significant jailbreaks in recent New Orleans history, both in terms of the number of inmates involved and the security failures that allowed it to occur.