The thing about New Orleans is that nothing is ever quite as simple as it looks on a police report. When the news first broke that there was a massive breach at the Orleans Justice Center, the city basically held its breath. It wasn't just a couple of guys hopping a fence. We are talking about a group of 10 inmates—some facing serious murder charges—who managed to slip out of a modern facility like it was made of cardboard.
If you’re looking for the latest 10 inmates escape New Orleans update, the hunt is officially over, but the fallout is just getting started. The last man on the run, Derrick Groves, was finally tracked down in Atlanta back in October 2025. It took nearly five months to find him. He was hiding in a crawl space of a house, which is about as dramatic as a movie scene, only with more tear gas and U.S. Marshals.
How did they actually pull it off?
Honestly, the way they got out is kind of embarrassing for the city. It wasn't some Shawshank Redemption tunnel that took years to dig. It was basically a mix of bad luck, broken hardware, and a very well-timed snack break.
Around 12:23 a.m. on May 16, 2025, the group realized the locks on their cell doors were faulty. They spent about 20 minutes messing with a sliding door until it literally popped off its tracks. Once they were out of their individual cells, they crowded into a "handicapped" cell that wasn't even supposed to be in use.
Here is the wild part: they ripped the entire toilet and sink unit right off the wall.
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Because a maintenance worker had allegedly turned off the water earlier—something investigators are still side-eyeing as an "inside job"—there was no massive flood to alert the guards. They squeezed through a hole behind the toilet, cut through some horizontal bars, and just... walked out through a loading dock.
By 1:30 a.m., they were jogging across Interstate 10. The jail didn't even realize they were gone until the 8:30 a.m. head count. That's seven hours of a head start.
The "To Easy LoL" Graffiti
If you want to know how the inmates felt about the security, look no further than the wall they left behind. Above the hole, they scribbled messages in marker. One of them famously read "To Easy LoL." Another said "We Innocent." It was a giant middle finger to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO).
Where are the 10 inmates now?
By now, every single one of them has been rounded up. But the path to getting them back was messy.
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- Kendall Myles: He was the first to go down. Cops found him in the French Quarter under a car at a hotel garage less than 12 hours after the break.
- The Texas Duo: Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald made it all the way to Walker County, Texas, before the state troopers caught up with them about ten days later.
- The Final Capture: Derrick Groves was the big one. He was convicted of second-degree murder and was facing a life sentence, so he had every reason to stay hidden. His capture in Atlanta finally closed the book on the physical manhunt.
The 2026 Fallout: Who is actually in trouble?
It wasn't just the guys in orange who ended up in handcuffs. The investigation into the 10 inmates escape New Orleans update has widened significantly as we move through 2026.
Basically, the sheriff's office has been under fire for years about "defective locks" and staffing shortages. At the time of the escape, the jail was only about 60% staffed. On the night of the break, the one person supposed to be watching the monitors in that wing had stepped away to get food.
A jail maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, was arrested and charged with 10 counts of principal to simple escape. Prosecutors say he turned the water off to help them. His lawyer says he was just a "tool" the inmates used and didn't know what was happening. Then you've got family members—mothers, sisters, cousins—who were arrested for driving the guys around or letting them hide out. In total, over 25 people have been charged in connection to this one night.
What has changed at the jail?
If you've been following the local news here in early 2026, you've probably seen that the jail is still a mess. Just this month, four more deputies were charged for a completely separate incident involving an assault on an inmate that was caught on camera. It seems like the "culture" issues Sheriff Susan Hutson inherited (or struggled to fix) haven't gone away.
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They have finally started replacing those sliding door locks, and there's been a massive push for more funding to fix the "blind spots" in the camera system. But for the people living in New Orleans, the trust is pretty thin.
Actionable Insights: What this means for you
If you live in the New Orleans area or follow criminal justice trends, there are a few things to keep an eye on:
- Watch the Court Dates: The trials for the "accessories" (the people who helped them hide) are hitting the dockets now. These trials will likely reveal even more about how deep the "inside help" went.
- Monitor Sheriff Funding: There is a constant tug-of-war between the City Council and the Sheriff’s Office over the budget. Expect this escape to be used as political ammo for the next election cycle.
- Public Safety Alerts: If you haven't already, sign up for ReadyNOPD or local emergency alerts. The seven-hour delay in reporting this escape was a major scandal, and the city has promised faster public notification for any future "critical incidents."
The saga of the New Orleans 10 is technically over because the cells are full again, but the legal and political ripple effects are going to be felt in Louisiana for years.
Next Step: You can look up the specific trial dates for the OPSO deputies and maintenance staff on the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court website to see when the "inside job" testimonies begin.