Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Dec 21: The last of three inmates who escaped from the St Landry Parish Jail in Louisiana earlier this month has been captured more than two weeks after the daring breakout, authorities said.

The inmates, all facing serious violent charges, escaped in early December after gradually removing mortar and concrete blocks from a deteriorating jail wall. They then used bedsheets to climb down the exterior of the building and jump onto a first-floor roof, St Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said in a social media post.

The final escapee, identified as Keith Eli, was apprehended without incident in Opelousas, officials confirmed.

Another inmate, Johnathon Joseph (24), also from Opelousas, was arrested after police acted on multiple public tips. Joseph, who was facing charges including rape, surrendered after briefly fleeing into a storage shed near a residence where he had been hiding, authorities told the Associated Press.

The third inmate, Joseph Allen Harrington (26), who was facing several felony charges including home invasion, died by suicide after being located by police. Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said officers used a loudspeaker to order Harrington to surrender, but later heard a gunshot. Harrington was found dead inside the house, having shot himself with a hunting rifle.

The incident marks yet another high-profile jailbreak in Louisiana this year. In May, 10 inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail in an overnight breakout using electric hair trimmers to cut through cell walls. The final escapee in that case was captured five months later in Atlanta, according to US Marshals.

This was also the second escape from the St Landry Parish Jail since October. In the earlier incident, a trustee inmate managed to flee while being escorted between buildings before being recaptured by Opelousas police, CNN affiliate KADN reported.

Sheriff Guidroz has repeatedly stated that the jail is overcrowded and in need of significant maintenance. However, these claims have been disputed by parish authorities. Parish President Jessie Bellard said the jail, built in 1982, is structurally sound and cited engineering reports to back his assertion.

“The claims about crumbling walls and rusted cell door locks are inaccurate,” Bellard said in a social media post, adding that structural engineers inspected the facility last year and gave it a “clean bill of health.”

Bellard instead blamed staffing shortages and inadequate training for the escapes. “It is unreasonable to expect one deputy to manage over 100 inmates on a floor, especially during night shifts,” he said, also calling for improved pay to retain trained personnel and enhanced security measures, including better surveillance coverage.

An internal investigation into the escape has been launched, Sheriff Guidroz said, adding that a comprehensive report from jail supervisory staff will be reviewed for appropriate action.

Sheriff’s department spokesperson Major Mark LeBlanc told the AP that while similar breaches had not been reported in the past, inmates will attempt escapes when given time and opportunity. “These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he said.