Manhunt!

0:15 A wall street line, shackle change, Oh we someome, girdie, it's calling my name. There is no mercy and it's been a tentery juice as the huge stream game Wrangle three. I'm here be by me to die. Inside these walls, inside the wild.

0:56 And when the girl as I'm hey everyone, and welcome back to Bloody Angola, a podcast one and forty two years in the making, the complete story of America's bloodiest prison.

1:40 I'm Jim Chapman, and today we're gonna call this episode man Hunt. The reason for that is if you joined us last week on Bloody Angola major escape in New Orleans, ten prisoners went on the run, I'm gonna give you an update on that. We're gonna talk about another escape that took place just a week after this escape in Louisiana. Unbelievable story there, and even another escape a couple of states over. So let's get into it, and I'm gonna refer to some articles today as we move along, and I'm gonna catch you up first on the New Orleans prison escape situation. I'm referring to this article in front of me, and it's headlined arrest mounts for those helping New Orleans prison escapees with two still on the run.

2:32 That's right. The last time that I left you, there were five escapees still on the run. That is now down to two, and all during this time people have been getting arrested for aiding in a betting which I played you the governor's statement he wouldn't joking around when he said, if you're helping these folks, you're going down. And that's exactly what happened for many people. Let's get into the article. A massive manhunt that began for ten escapees was down to two on Tuesday, while authorities turn their attention toward people aiding the inmates who literally broke out of a New Orleans jail eleven days ago. Louisiana State Police announced Monday that three more escapees had been nabbed in the Louisiana and Texas areas and pledged to pursue every lead until the two who remain at large are once again in custody. Police also announced the arrest of six people accused of aiding the escapee. Quote. Individuals who choose to assist, conceal, or harbor these fugitives are violating the law and will be arrested regardless of the level of assistance given or where they are found. That from Louisiana State Police Sergeant Capes to Gaul. She went on to say, harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and it will not be tolerated. The latest inmates to be recaptured were Lenton van Buren twenty six, who was taken into custody in Baton Ridge, Louisiana by local police there, and Leo Tate, who is thirty one, as

4:04 well as Jermaine Donald forty two. Now. The latter two were arrested in Walker County, Texas by the Texas Department of Public Safety. And look, there is a lot of video out there from the car chase that ensued to catch these guys. I suggest you go check that out if you're arrested. All three of these individuals are expected to face additional charges related to escape quote. This is a clear example of how effective collaboration and open communication between agencies can lead to successful outcomes. That also from the State Police spokesman. Six more have been accused of eighty escapees. At least thirteen people have been arrested, including an inmate who did not flee for collaborating with the escapees. Six arrest were announced Monday, including Diamond White on charges that include principal to aggravated escape and obstruction of justice for helping Antoine Massey. According to state police, and we'll get into him a little bit more later.

5:13 Antoine Massey remains at large. Other announced Monday include Lenika Van Buren twenty eight, Taysha Randolph twenty seven, Patricia Van Buren eighteen, Angel McKay forty one, and Lenton Van Buren Senior, who is forty eight, all charges of accessory after the fact, accused of aiding Van Buren. All were booked into the Plackaman's Parish jail. Trayvon Williams, an inmate who did not escape, was charged with ten counts of being principled to simple escape. That from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrell. The same day, New Orleans Police Department said it arrested Emmitt Weber on a charge of accessory after the fact too simple escape.

5:59 Weber was one of four more were people questioned after investigators comb through surveillance footage connecting crucial dots in the search quote, as I promise we initiated our investigation and we will hold absolutely everyone who contributed any role to the prison break in New Orleans accountable. That from Liz Murrell. Others arrested in connection with the prison escape include jail maintenance workers Sterling Williams who is thirty three, Casey Smith, Connie Whedon, Courteeny Harris, and Corvona Te Baptiste Smith. They are all women and they are accused of being contact with and helping the escapees. Sterling Williams is charged with being a principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office.

6:44 Muriell said. Williams admitted that he complied with the demand from one of the inmates to shut off water and miss Sell and of course I told you about that last week now. Michael Kennedy, a lawyer for Stirling Williams, said that his client argues he didn't know the men were planning to escape and shut off the water because an inmate had clogged a toilet, and of course he changed that story. Initially he was threatened to turn off the water, threaten to get Shanks, specifically Van Bieren, who has been in custody on second degree murder in connection with the twenty twenty one fatal shooting was caught with the help of the tip from the public. He was apprehended while sitting on a bench near a department store in the city of Baton Rouge. Donald and Tate were arrested the same day in Huntsville, Texas, after leading law enforcement officers from several agencies on a high speed chase. Donald, who before the escape, was being held on charges that included second degree murder, now faces additional charges of escape and resisting. Tate, who had been held on burglary and obstruction charges, must now face aggravated escape and escape from custody charges. And then the article gets into what prison escape ease are still on the run, and of course the search continued for Massey, who is thirty two, and Derrick Groves, who is twenty seven. Massy is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle.

8:11 There is also a warrant for his arrest in Saint Tammany Parish for second degree rape, second degree kidnapping, domestic abuse involving strangulation, and violation of a protective order involving battery stemming from an incident in November. Groves was convicted of two counts of second degree murder in two counts of attempted second degree murder in October in connection with a shooting during Marty Gras in twenty eighteen. Groves has been awaiting sentencing on manslaughter charges since October. Then it goes into how they escaped. Of course I told you about that, and it's interesting that it notes a twenty thousand dollars reward per inmate leading to information for the arrest and the inmate that was caught in Baton Rouge sitting on that bench. Someone called in a tip that they never claimed the twenty grand at least not yet.

9:01 Orleans Parish DA Jason Williams said he's worried about the safety of his staff. He said the escape appears to be an inside job and that he is very concerned for the safety of his staff. He said he's especially worried for two colleagues who tried the second degree murder case. He in his Groves one of the two remaining escapees, and of course I told you that was a big risk with them being out, is they may try to start giving people payback. In their mind, the two colleagues have left the state for their safety. According to District Attorney Jason Williams, he would not say whether his office has received any credible threats. Quote, they're young, They've got families, and they don't deserve to be in a situation. Some victims and witnesses in the cases against escapees also wanted to be relocated. William said he worries the dangers following the escape will chill people's willingness to testify and serve on juries in other cases, and he has legitimate gripe there now. As more news began to come out, another article was released and it headlined a promising tip thiszles as the main hunt for a convicted killer in a chronic escapee intensifies. A double murder and repeat escapee have a vaded capture for rom as two weeks, leading authorities to believe the fugitives could be anywhere in the United States.

10:23 As of Wednesday morning, Antwine Massey and Derrick Groves were still on the run, twelve days after they and eight other inmates broke out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans. The eight other fugitives have been caught, mostly in New Orleans, but two of the most recent arrest happened in Texas. Now several states are involved in the main hunt for Massy and Groves. And just to catch you up on where these eight escapees have been caught. The Keenan Dennis was captured in New Orleans on May sixteenth, the same day Robert Moody was captured, and the same day Kendall Miles was captured. They were all caught in New Orleans. Gary Price was captured three days later on May nineteenth in New Orleans. Corey Boyd captured the following day, May twentieth in New Orleans. Jermaine Donald was captured in Walker County, Texas, as was Leo Taate Senior. They were together.

11:20 They led police on a chase. This was on May twenty six, so they actually got across state lines. Lenon van Gearn Junior was captured in Baton Rouge, sitting on that bench in front of that store. That was also on May twenty six. And of course Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey's still at large. And look, they have people out there right now taking bats on who's gonna get caught first, On who's gonna get caught last because eventually they'll get caught, and may take time, may take years, but eventually they will get caught. Now continue on with this article. Quote, we are currently at an impass on figuring out where these two are, Deputy US Marshall Brian Fair said, and you definitely don't want to hear somebody's in an impass when looking for escape fugitives. Quote. They could be here locally or anywhere in the United States.

12:13 At this point, more staff members from the US Marshall Service have joined in the manhunt as the search grows, and it's getting more methodical. According to the US Marshals, the vehicle that two of the escapees, Tate and Donald, who were captured in Texas, was rented in New Orleans and driven to Texas. That from Attorney General Liz Murrel, the two remaining escapees could also be outside of Louisiana, she said, quote, they absolutely could be moving into other areas. I alerted my colleagues in surrounding states immediately after the jail break to be on the alert and to notify their law enforcement partners that these individuals could be coming to their state. A glimmer of hope emerged Tuesday, when someone reported a possible sighting of Massy. This was at eight thirty am in Natche's, Mississippi. And y'all, Massy is not someone who can really blend in because he has a bunch of face tattoos, So keep that in mind.

13:14 And Natchez incidentally is right across the Louisiana state line, about one hundred and thirty five miles from New Orleans. It's in Mississippi. But Tuesday night, that hope faded quote, we do not believe that the suspect is in our area. That from Adams County, Mississippi Sheriff Travis Patten. That's not to say he wasn't here, but we are saying he is not here now. Authorities in Natchez used a lot of manpower to search the area for the escapees, including helicopters, police dogs, drones, and video surveillance. And that's something really interesting. Look, these escapes that occur down they usually don't go more than a couple of days because of technology. It's really shocking these guys have been able to remain on the run for two weeks. Now. Then it gets into who Massy is and he's actually a fugitive who has a habit, if you will, of escaping. He was most recently charged with a vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, but the thirty two year old does have a long track record of escaping custody. In two thousand and seven, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault.

14:30 A broken lock at that detention center allowed Massey, who was then fifteen, and five other juveniles who access metal shackles, which they used to shadow or window and escape. Massy stayed on the run for more than two weeks before authorities found him on an interstate in East New Orleans, mass. He has also cut off electronic ankle monitors twice that from Matt Dennis, an employee with the company who operates those monitors. Court records from late twenty twenty three, said Massy had tampered and or removed quote ordered GPS monitors. Dennis said he was astonished that someone with Massy's escape history was being held on the first floor of a New Orleans jail, a floor that had defective door locks.

15:16 Quote there isn't an ounce in this man's history that doesn't scream escape. Groves was found to be one of the gunmen who opened fire with an AK forty seven style rifle on what should have been a joyous, Mighty grass gathering. The DA's office said Groves was found guilty of two counts of second degree murder and two counts of attempted second degree murder, both charges that carry a life sentence, so he has absolutely nothing to lose by escaping. Authorities have had a lot of leads and are getting tips from the community. District Attorney of New Orleans, Jason Williams said Tuesday, quote, it's vitally important that we catch these fugitives, whether it's in Arkansas, whether it's a Louisiana.

16:01 But it's also critically important we know how they got out and who helped them get out, and we can't wait until they're in custody to do that. My office, the digital forensics team, everyone has been gowering through hours and hours of jail calls using some AI software to figure out who they were in contact with in the night and hours before the escape. Their circle is tightening as people who are assisting are being arrested, and authorities are chasing down leads trying to identify other associates of escapees in neighboring states. Those arrested in connection with helping the inmates include relatives and romantic partners. And then, as of just a few hours before this recording, they increase that twenty thousand dollars reward offer to fifty thousand dollars for tips leading to the capture of the two remaining fugitives in that New Orleans escape one thousand dollars. Dozen't entice you fifty thousand shit, and I'll tell you what, a lot of people would write your ass out for fifty g's. So these guys probably are going to get caught sooner rather than later. Now all this is going down, it's been big news for the last two weeks. You would think every other prison in the state of Louisiana would be on high alert. Right watch your prisoners. We don't want to be in that position. Well. A Louisiana jail inmate who escaped from a parish jail about a

17:31 year ago has accomplished the same feat again, according to authorities. Trayvon Johnson, nineteen made his latest escape this was last Thursday from a Tangibahoe Parish jail, which has a history of jail breaks involving a half dozen inmates in recent years. Johnson had been awaiting trial for his alleged role in a home invasion that left a man killed and a child injured. Authorities said they became suspicious when a member of the public called the Sheriff's office shortly before ten pm Thursday, asking whether Johnson was still in custody. Quote Following an immediate headcount of the jail population and a review of Johnson's movements throughout the day, was determined he escaped around four point thirty pm, when another inmate helped lift him over the perimeter fence. Law enforcement officers are now searching for Johnson and also contacting victims and reaching out to Johnson's relatives and associates. In the summer of twenty twenty four, Johnson was among a group of four inmates who escaped from the same jail over Memorial Day weekend, crawling under a gap in a wall and then scaling two razor wire fences. Three of those escape ease, including Johnson, were captured within days, but it took six months to apprehend the fourth fugitive. Manpower shortages, inadequate staff training and experience, as well as a lack of supervision and insufficient head counts contributed to the escape last year, authority said at

19:05 the time. In twenty seventeen, two brothers being held on charges that included attempted murder escape from the jail's exercise yard. They were recaptured the next day in Tanja Peho Pairish Jail and amt Is about seventy five miles from New Orleans. The latest jail break comes as state and federal officers continue hunting for five of the ten inmates, and of course when he escaped, there were still five on the lease from New Orleans. But that blew my mind. Now a little update, an article came out saying officials in Louisiana weren't aware the inmate was missing until a tipster called them. Authorities in Louisiana who were looking for an inmate who escaped jail for the second time in a year after a member of the public tipped them off. Thursday.

19:52 Trayvon Johnson was awaiting trial in Tanji Pearish Jail for his alleged role in a twenty twenty two Hammond area home invasion where a man was killed his child was injured. And incidentally, they did correct his age here it said he was nineteen in the first article. They corrected that he is twenty two. The Sheriff's office set it received a call just before ten pm on Thursday from a member of the public asking if Johnson was still in custody. Could you imagine that call? The person did not identify themselves. According to Sheriff Gerald Sticker, following an immediate head count and a review of his movements, it was determined that he escaped. I told you all about that already. It set around four fifteen pm. There was an incident at the dorm in the jail where an inmate flooded a cell by stopping up a shower. As a result, a deputy was dispatched to the back with a crew of trustees to clean that water out of the dorm. While they were doing so, they opened the back door to the jail that leads into the yard, adding that the door to the dorm was left open for about one minute.

20:57 A deputy who realized the back door was open, closed, but not before two individuals Johnson and another inmate, Trayvon Wallace, were able to get out. Wallace was found by an exterior door when deputies went to make sure it was shut. He was escorted back to his cell, but a head count was not done at the time and the incident was not reported up the chain of command. That's a big no note. An official count done around two hours later determined that all inmates were accounted for, but upon reviewing surveillance video, jail staff did not do a proper count. Quote. We have policies in place for this. We have procedures in place that dictate the amount of accounts were supposed to do per day. So that's another opportunity missed that.

21:41 According to the sheriff, surveillance video outside the yard showed Johnson scaling the back fence while Wallace, who was underneath him, gave him a boost. For whatever reason, he couldn't get over the fence on his own, or he was just there to help the first individual get over that fence. He returned back to the jail and that's where our deputies intercepted him. Wallace has been charged with simple escape and principal to help someone escape. Johnson had been entered into the National Crime Information Center as an escapee. This is Johnson's second escape from the jail in a year. He was also one of foreignmates who broke out of the facility a year ago this month. And of course I told you about that. Johnson is five feet five, weighs one hundred and twenty five pounds and is from the Tickfall area. Anyone who sees Johnson needs to call police, et cetera. Now four people have been placed on administrative leave.

22:37 I bet they have regarding that incident. Johnson's escape isn't the only prison break that has plagued Louise end of this week, and of course they go into the New Orleans escape and then this article came out. The tangebaho A Paaris Sheriff's office has confirmed that Trayvon Johnson, the twenty two year old accused murderer who escaped Thursday May twenty second from the parish jail for the second time, has been recaptured. Johnson was apprehended in a meet Louisiana, beginning an end to a multi agency man hunt that began with his disappearance from a jail that went undetected for nearly six hours. Authority say Johnson fled the jail Thursday at four point thirty pm, assisted by another inmate who helped him scale the perimeter fence. Surveillance footage received later showed Johnson jumping over the outer gate just after the dorm doors opened and closed, a sequence triggered by a toilet being flooded. Stickers said staff found Wallace and returned him to his cell, but did not notify a leadership nor initiate a head gown. According to the timeline provided by the Sheriff's office, staff failed to notice his absence until six PM, when a head count was logged.

23:51 The escape was only confirmed after nine PM, when someone called the jail to ask about Johnson's custody status. Now imagine if someone wouldn't have called that jail, he could have went twenty four hours without anybody knowing. Internal notification and mobilization began at nine to fifty six pm, and the public was alerted nearly two hours later at eleven fifty four pm. That's too long for a escaped murderer, in my opinion. In a news conference, Sticker apologized to the community and Johnson's victims. He said four jail employees are on administrative leave, and the escape is not believed to be an inside job. Johnson, who is from Tickfall, is a waiting trial on the twenty twenty two ham And home invasion, in which a father was shot and killed and his twelve year old daughter was critically wounded.

24:39 He was previously involved in another jail break in May of twenty twenty four, when he and three others Amaron Hook, Finn Aver Gidry and JaMarcus Ciprion, escaped the same jail. Johnson was later found hiding in a dumpster behind a Dollar General store outside of Ham In Louisiana, which y'all is in the same area at the time. He was recaptured along on Gidry. Now, following that twenty twenty four escape, newly elected Sheriff Gerald Sticker vowed to reform jail operations. He forced out then warden Jerry Martin, who had been hired under former Sheriff Daniel Edwards. Martin's tenure was plagued by discipline issues, and an investigation by a news source revealed he had been fired from Orleans Paris Sheriff's office in twenty twenty two following multiple suspensions, including one for threatening to kill an inmate. Now, Sheriff Sticker has placed four current jail employees on administrative leave as the department investigates how Johnson was able to escape again and how the delay happened, and then it goes into this is all During the New Orleans escapees were being sought as well.

25:47 In the last article I'm going to go to on this one says additional arrest and Tangy Jel escape alleged broader conspiracy. Two additional people have been arrested in connection with last Friday's Jeil escape by suspect Trayvon Johnson. Johnson was taken into custody Friday in Bennett Road area near a meet after being on the run for around twenty four hours. He was taken by helicopter to Angola, Bloody, Angola, where he will remain in custody pending his trial for a twenty twenty two Hammid area home invasion. Damien Booth thirty seven was arrested alongside Johnson and booked on charges to principle too simple escape and aggravated escape. Trayvon Wallace twenty eight helped Johnson scale the perimeter fence and I went into exactly how that worked. So almost in all these cases, you've got something helping these guys. Now, thankfully, he's back in custody, still to being sought out of the ten that escaped Orleans jail, and I came across another escape and this one's really disturbing. This guy is dangerous and a manhunt is still continual for a guy out of Arkansas. This guy was a former Arkansas police chief.

27:05 His name is Grant Harden. They actually had a series done, I think it was on Netflix regarding this guy. But he's serving a thirty year sentence for murder and rape and they are now in their fourth day of trying to find him. Grant Harden, who is fifty six, has been in present since twenty seventeen on first Green murder and rape charges. He escaped the Calico Rock North Central unit on Sunday at approximately two point fifty pm. And keep in mind this guy's a former police chief. Harden escaped custody through a sally port by impersonating a corrections officer quote in dress and manner, which caused another corrections officer operating the security gate to open the gate and allow him to walk right out a fucking front door.

27:52 Official said during a press conference on Wednesday that Harden was not wearing an official uniform from the Department of Correction and it had to have been homemade or brought in somehow. Surveillance footage showed Harden pulling a cart, which was found abandoned outside the gates of the prison. He remains at large as of this recording, with official saying during a press conference they're confident that he is still in the area of the prison. Officials said citizens in Iszard County and surrounding county should stay vigilant, lock your house, your doors, and report any suspicious activity. In The US Marshals are also assisting in the search efforts. Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long said, quote, I am very scared this guy is going to hurt or kill somebody before this is over with. Harden, who was a former police chief in Gateway, Arkansas, worked in the prison kitchen, but it's unclear whether his job involved any access to the sally port he used to escape. He has had no significant disciplinary issues during his time at the prison, and there's no reason to believe anyone aided him. Prison official say.

29:02 Nathan Smith, the former Benton County prosecutor who helped put him behind bars, said the escaped inmate is associopath quote, he has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything to anyone hard misconsidered extremely dangerous and should not be approached. And look, this is some pretty rough terrain in that area of Arkansas, and they're struggling, especially having days of rain hit them recently, to locate this guy. They said, the search is just really being hindered. Of course, they are continuing to conduct roadblocks near the prison, et cetera, and checkpoints to see if he's got a vehicle.

29:43 But very dangerous individual. He pleaded guilty in October twenty seventeen to the first degree murder in the shooting death of a fifty nine year old by the name of James Appleton, and was also convicted of a nineteen ninety seven rape of an the elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas. That particular crime was highlighted in a documentary called Devil in the Ozarks. Dude still on the lease, And I bring that up because this doesn't only happen in the state of Louisiana. These escapes lately. It seems like every state that I've looked at is have problems with escape, so keep your eyes peeled. I wanted to bring you an update on what we talked about last week with the Orleans escaped inmates and also give you updates on the Tangible Hoo escape inmate and this crazy sum bitch that escaped from Arkansas. Thank you so much for listening, supporting.

30:39 Check out the Patreon commercial, free early releases, and more at patreon dot com. Slash Bloody Andngola podcast and until next time, I'm Jim Chapman for Bloody and Gola, a podcast one hundred and forty two years in the making, the complete story of America's Bloody is prison peace m hm. H A wall Street line, shackle change, Oh with someome girdie.

31:23 It's calling my name. There is no mercy and it's been a tentury Jesus as the Hill Stream game Rango three. I'm here, be. By mere or die inside these walls, inside. The wild and when the girls I know It's sold.

32:04 Very angle, very ang