Eleven inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center just after midnight on Friday, May 16. According to law enforcement sources, Fox 8 obtained a photo showing a hole in a jail wall believed to be the escape route. Around the hole, messages were scrawled, including phrases like “Too Easy LOL,” “Catch us when you can,” “We innocent,” and “Most Hated,” along with profanities.
The escape was discovered during a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m., and law enforcement confirmed it by 10:15 a.m. The jail was immediately placed on full lockdown, and the sheriff’s office alerted the media.
The escapees include:
• Antoine Massey – domestic abuse, theft (previous escape history)
• Lenton Venburen – illegal weapons possession
• Leo Tate – burglary, illegal weapons possession
• Kendell Myles – intentional concealment of a weapon (previously escaped juvenile facility, recaptured in French Quarter via facial recognition)
• Derrick Groves – convicted of murder and attempted murder (killed two in a 2018 Mardi Gras mass shooting)
• Jermaine Donald – murder, aggravated battery
• Corey Boyd – murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery
• Gary Price – three counts of attempted murder
• Robert Moody
• Dkenan Dennis
• Keith Lewis
Charges range from weapons offenses to murder. All escapees are considered armed and dangerous.
Attorney General Liz Murrill responded to the situation, saying, “Someone clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this.”
