Former New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ronal Serpas is criticizing what he described as New Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson’s “checkered past” after 10 inmates escaped a parish jail last week.
Since the inmates escaped from a hole behind a toilet in a jail cell the morning of May 16, authorities have recaptured five and arrested one correctional officer in the jailbreak.
“Sheriff Hutson has had a very checkered past in the last 15 years in the city of New Orleans, with multiple complaints of administrative failures as the [former] independent police monitor, multiple complaints as the sheriff and the consent decree management and multiple complaints of ethical violations that have resulted in findings by the Louisiana Ethics Board,” Serpas told Fox News Digital.
TWO MORE ARRESTED TODAY FOR ALLEGEDLY AIDING NEW ORLEANS JAILBREAK FUGITIVES
“It’s no surprise to the people of New Orleans that incompetence[e] is key to her leadership style, and the people deserve so much better.”
The escaped inmates, some of whom are charged with violent offenses, including murder, were being held in a minimum-custody site at the Orleans Parish prison. The jail is only at 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said.
Five of 10 remaining escapees from a New Orleans jail. (Fox News)
Hutson did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital, but she did announce a temporary suspension of her re-election campaign in a statement Wednesday morning.
“As I said today, I take full accountability for the breach that occurred under my leadership,” Hutson said. “I am grateful to the community, our law enforcement partners and city and state leaders for helping us to secure the Orleans Justice Center and capture the remaining escapees,” Hutson said in a statement.
“We’ve taken immediate action, including suspensions, an arrest and full cooperation with the attorney general’s investigation.”
LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL EXPECTS MORE ARRESTS IN NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPE INVESTIGATION
Sheriff Susan Hutson speaks during a City Council meeting after the escape of 10 inmates at City Hall in New Orleans Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Sophia Germer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate)
She added there is “a long road ahead” of her “to be fully satisfied that the [Orleans Justice Center] and my deputies have the proper resources to perform their duties to the fullest extent the people of New Orleans deserve.”
“I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs.”
“As such, I am temporarily suspending my re-election campaign. I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs,” she said. “Now is the time to focus on security, accountability, and public safety. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with other agencies and community organizations to hear your valuable input and make necessary changes.”
FIFTH ESCAPED INMATE FROM NEW ORLEANS JAIL RECAPTURED AFTER DAYS ON THE RUN
A screen grab taken from a handout CCTV video shows inmates running through the loading dock at the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans May 16, 2025. (Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office/Handout via Reuters)
Serpas noted there was historically low voter turnout for the sheriff election in December 2021, when less than 60,000 votes were cast, representing just 27% of New Orleans Parish registered voters. It was similar to that year’s mayoral race, at 28% turnout.
Hutson faced ethics charges over nepotism and other complaints in September 2024 and whistleblower lawsuits from former administrators between 2023 and 2024, FOX 8 New Orleans reported.
LOUISIANA JAIL WORKER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HELPING 10 INMATES ESCAPE ORLEANS PARISH FACILITY
When asked his thoughts on the arrest of a jail employee, 33-year-old Sterling Williams, who is accused of helping the inmates escape, Serpas, now a criminology and justice professor at Loyola University in New Orleans, said “the question” for him is how Hutson did not see “red flags on an appointment.”
New Orleans jail escapee Gary Price is escorted to a helicopter by police who captured him. (Louisiana State Police)
Two others, Cortnie Harris, 32, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, have also been accused of aiding the escape.
“There is no question that it’s difficult to hire people to work in the jail environment,” Serpas said. “There is no question that there are many examples across the country of jail employees violating their oath and office. It’s a thing that sheriffs just know what to look out for. And here we have another example of this particular sheriff … not knowing how to actually lead or be ethical in that leadership.”
LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BLASTS ‘PROGRESSIVE PROMISES’ AFTER NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPE
Sheriff Susan Hutson arrives for a City Council meeting Tuesday, May 20, 2025, after 10 inmates escaped Friday from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans. (Sophia Germer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate)
Hutson has also received criticism for declining jail conditions at the Orleans Justice Center, including drug smuggling, inmate violence and inadequate mental health care. Federal monitors have noted major gaps in safety and supervision in biannual reports on the Orleans Parish jail.
FOX 8 found that Hutson’s office has regressed in four jail safety and supervision categories since the last sheriff’s administration, while the remainder are the same as the previous administration.
Monitors “witnessed the most unsupervised jail units in recent memory once Sheriff Susan Hutson took over,” the report states, according to FOX 8.
New Orleans jail escapee Gary Price is escorted to a helicopter by police. (Louisiana State Police)
Hutson proposed a tax increase to generate $11.7 million annually for the sheriff’s office, but 91% of voters rejected the measure.
Between 2022 and 2024, the sheriff’s office lost 17 employees, and Hutson expressed a need for 150 additional deputies to manage a 500-person increase in inmates since she took office.
To reestablish trust with the public after the jailbreak, the sheriff’s office must first apprehend all 10 escapees, Serpas said.
“The public expects the local, state and federal agencies will work together, which we have clear evidence of,” the former superintendent said. “I think the next jury that is out, if you will, is there is an upcoming sheriff’s election. And in New Orleans, my hometown … in Sheriff Hutson’s race, when she won, 25% of voters went to the poll. We need people to go to the poll and challenge the candidates.”
New Orleans jail escapee Gary Price is captured by police. (Louisiana State Police)
Anyone found aiding an escapee will be charged as an accomplice, according to New Orleans authorities. The FBI is offering rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the escaped inmates. Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,000 reward per inmate.
The five men who remain on the run are:
- Lenton J. Vanburen Jr., 26, faces charges of illegal carrying of weapons, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, obstruction of justice and introducing contraband in prison.
- Jermaine Donald, 42, faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.
- Antoine Massey, 32, faces charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation.
- Derrick Groves, 27, faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and battery of a correctional facility employee.
- Leo O. Tate Sr., 31, faces charges of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, illegal carrying of a weapon, motor vehicle theft and multiple drug counts.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A violent offender warrant squad is searching for the escapees along with the FBI and U.S. Marshals. More than 200 law enforcement officers are assisting with the search.
Fox News’ Ashley Papa, Alexandra Koch, Peter D’Abrosca and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
