Orleans Parish Sheriff and CFO indicted after last year’s jail escape of 10 Louisiana inmates

By Taylor Romine, Devon Sayers, CNN

(CNN) — Almost a year after 10 Louisiana inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail, the Orleans Parish sheriff and the office’s chief financial officer were indicted by a special grand jury on charges of malfeasance and other crimes in relation to the jailbreak.

Ten prisoners housed in the Orleans Justice Center made their escape last spring, maneuvering out of a small hole in a wall and making their way out into the night. All 10 escapees were eventually recaptured, and 13 people were charged with helping the escapees, both inside jail and once they were at large.

Susan Hutson, the current Orleans Sheriff, was indicted on 30 felony charges, including malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records, and obstruction of justice, among other charges, the attorney general’s office said in a release Wednesday.

Bianka Brown, the chief financial officer for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, was also indicted on 20 similar felony charges of malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records, and obstruction of justice, according to the attorney general’s office.

CNN has reached out to Hutson and Brown for comment and is working to identify their attorneys.

“While Sheriff Hutson did not personally open the doors of the jail for the escapees, her refusal to comply with basic legal requirements and to take even minimal precautions in the discharge of her duties directly contributed to and enabled the escape,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a news release announcing the charges.

A $300,000 bond was set for Hutson, and a $200,000 bond was set for Brown, according to court records. Both were ordered to surrender their passports and not leave the state, court records show.

Hutson and Brown have a status hearing set for Thursday at 9 a.m., the attorney general’s office said. The office will not be releasing any additional documents, such as arrest warrants, as the investigation is ongoing, it added.

The last of the 10 escapees was recaptured in October of last year, about five months after the initial jailbreak.

Ten men ranging from ages 19 to 42 escaped Orleans Justice Center in the early morning hours of May 16, breaking open a cell door and using toiletries to remove bolts. They ultimately were able to carve a small hole in the cell wall behind a metal toilet and escape, leaving a message on the wall on the way out.

“To Easy LoL,” it read.

Within 10 days, eight of the escaped inmates were recaptured, but it would take months to get everyone back in custody.

About a week after the jailbreak, Hutson announced she would no longer be seeking reelection as sheriff. She is in her last days of office and soon will be replaced by Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork.

Hutson faced tough questions from local officials last year about the jail’s persistent problems that they said stemmed from inadequate funding or poor management.

At the time, Hutson said she took “full accountability” for the “failure,” but also pointed to the alleged involvement of jail staff. At least one jail employee has been charged in connection with helping the inmates escape.

“There were procedural failures. And missed notifications. But there were also intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort aided by individuals inside our own agency who made the choice to break the law. One arrest has been made, and we are continuing to pursue everyone involved and that investigation is active and ongoing,” the sheriff said during a tense city council meeting last year.

When Hutson announced she would suspend her reelection campaign, she noted her office took “immediate action” after the jailbreak, which included “suspensions, an arrest, and full cooperation with the Attorney General’s investigation.”

But she added that there was “a long road ahead of me to be fully satisfied that the OJC (Orleans Justice Center jail) and my deputies have the proper resources to perform their duties to the fullest extent the people of New Orleans deserve.”

During a city council meeting last year, Hutson said the jail was operating with “outdated surveillance, aging infrastructure, blind spots in supervision and critical staffing shortages.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry tasked the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections to do an audit of the jail, and the department sent at least 10 auditors to investigate the facility. CNN has reached out to the department for an update on when the audit will be completed.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Maria Aguilar Prieto contributed to this report.