Two Louisiana inmates remain on the lam after escaping custody over the weekend, while two others were found hiding in a dumpster Monday.
The four inmates escaped through the perimeter fence of the Tangipahoa Parish Jail, east of Baton Rouge, on Saturday and Sunday during recreation time, police confirmed.
An inspection of the chain-link fence found corrosion, and the inmates were able to create an eight-inch gap under the fence — just enough room for a small body to slip through.
However, Avery Guidry, 19, and Travon Johnson, 21, were tracked down about 30 kilometres away on Monday.
“Deputies located them hiding in a dumpster behind the Dollar General Store on Pumpkin Center Road and Old Baton Rouge Highway,” the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement Monday.
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Now, a manhunt continues for Omarion Hookfin, 19, and Jamarcus Cyprian, 20.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Johnson, Hookfin and Guidry were all inmates following their arrests in connection with a 2022 homicide in Hammond, La. Local station WWL-TV reported that the trio was accused of breaking into a home and fatally shooting Donte Perry.
Perry’s daughter, who was 12 at the time, was also shot at least 10 times, but survived.
Cyprian is serving time for armed robbery and weapon charges related to a separate crime.
Police Chief Jimmy Travis said they were unaware of the breakouts until they received a phone call Sunday afternoon from a family member of one of the escapees, reports ABC News.
Two inmates came to the relative’s home in the middle of the night asking for a place to stay, Travis said.
“It’s very concerning. If the proper head counts had been conducted, we would (have) known about it immediately,” Travis told reporters, adding that the two other inmates escaped the following day.
All four inmates had to scale an additional two fences to flee the jail.
Travis did not reveal which inmates escaped when, clarifying that two fled on Saturday and two on Sunday.
Anyone with information about the escapees has been asked to contact the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. Those who wish to remain anonymous can also call CrimeStoppers, the sheriff’s office said.
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