Crime
Orleans Justice Center Maintenance Worker Sterling Williams Arrested for Alleged Role in Inmate Escape
NEW ORLEANS, La. — A maintenance worker at the Orleans Justice Center has been arrested in connection with the escape of ten inmates from the facility last Friday, Channel2 NOW has learned.
Sterling Williams, 33, was booked Monday on 10 counts of principal to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office.
Williams, employed as a maintenance worker at the jail, is accused of facilitating the escape by turning off the water supply to a cell where inmates later escaped through a hole behind a toilet.
After his arrest, Williams was transferred to another detention facility for safety reasons.
Sources say Williams told investigators he was threatened with violence by inmate Antoine Massey, who allegedly warned he would “shank” Williams if he did not comply.
According to security footage, the inmates used the compromised cell to break through a wall and exit the facility via a supply dock.
At the time of the escape, three surveillance cameras in the unit were reportedly offline. The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO) has acknowledged the jailbreak was aided by “defective locks” and possible internal assistance.
Four of the ten escapees have since been recaptured. Gary Price, one of the fugitives, was arrested Monday by State Police in New Orleans East.
Home surveillance video captured Price surrendering with his hands raised. Price was being held on attempted first-degree murder charges.
Six inmates remain at large and are considered armed and dangerous. Among them:
- Derrick Groves, convicted in a 2018 double homicide and additional shootings on Mardi Gras Day.
- Antoine Massey, held on domestic abuse and vehicle theft charges, with a long history of escapes dating back to 2007. He is also wanted in St. Tammany Parish for kidnapping and rape.
- Lenton Vanburen, charged with a 2021 homicide in New Orleans East.
- Jermaine Donald, facing charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery, weapons violations, and obstruction of justice.
- Leo Tate, awaiting trial on burglary, drug, and firearms charges.
- Corey Boyd, accused of fatally shooting Brandon Fees during a car burglary in 2024.
The ongoing escape has left families of victims shaken. One father, whose son testified against a fugitive, expressed his fear: “Everybody’s on edge right now… I just refuse to live in fear.” Another mother reported fleeing the city with her children: “My baby is scared. He won’t let my hand go.”
Governor Jeff Landry has ordered a comprehensive investigation and issued multiple executive orders in response.
While Sheriff Susan Hutson has not responded to calls for her resignation, pressure is mounting. City Councilmember Helena Moreno and State Representative Aimee Freeman are demanding a full audit of the Sheriff’s Office. Moreno criticized the delayed public alert as “malfeasance in office.”
A previous report by a federal jail monitor warned of lax supervision and declining compliance since Hutson assumed office.
The New Orleans City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting to examine the incident. Representatives from OPSO, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), Louisiana State Police, Troop NOLA, Homeland Security, and the city’s Communications District are expected to attend.
Nonprofit Project NOLA, which helped spot two escapees in the French Quarter, criticized NOPD for opting out of real-time facial recognition alerts, potentially hindering law enforcement efforts.
The public is urged to remain vigilant. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the six fugitives should contact 911, CrimeStoppers at (504) 822-1111, or submit an anonymous tip at fbi.gov/neworleansfugitives. A $20,000 reward is being offered per inmate for information leading to an arrest.
BEND, Ore. — Rhoam Summer, 5, has been identified as the first reported victim of the deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, where preliminary reports indicate that four victims, including three children and one adult, were killed. The 16-year-old suspect also died, bringing the reported death toll to five.
The shooting prompted a major law enforcement and emergency response Thursday afternoon, October 15, 2026, after Bend police issued an active-shooter alert at approximately 1:17 p.m. Authorities described a large police presence at the school and urged the public to avoid the area.
Information provided in preliminary reports indicated that the children killed were ages 5, 8 and 11. One teacher was also reported dead. Rhoam Summer, 5, was identified as the first victim publicly named in connection with the tragedy.
Authorities had not yet released the names of the other reported victims in the information available for this report.
According to preliminary information attributed to federal law enforcement, four victims died as a result of the shooting: three children and one adult. The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old Bend resident, was also reported dead.
This brings the reported total to five deaths, including the suspect.
Reports indicated that two additional people were transported for medical treatment in critical condition. They were described as a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher.
The reported casualties have not all been independently confirmed through a complete official victim list. Further information from law enforcement and medical authorities is needed to establish the final number of injured people and the conditions of those receiving treatment.
Preliminary reports identified the suspected shooter as a 16-year-old resident of Bend. The teenager was reportedly armed with a shotgun.
Scanner traffic and early reports indicated that a bystander, described as a Good Samaritan and possibly the father of a student, shot and killed the suspect. Reports also described the bystander as someone legally carrying a concealed firearm.
However, the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death, including the identity and role of the bystander, require confirmation from law enforcement. These details should not be considered established facts until officials release an authoritative account.
Authorities had reported that the suspect was deceased, but further verified information about the sequence of events was not available in the preliminary reports summarized here.
Bend police issued an alert at approximately 1:17 p.m. Thursday reporting an active shooter at Silver Rail Elementary School in southeast Bend.
The initial alert provided limited information but warned residents of a large police presence and urged them to stay away from the area. Police, fire crews and emergency medical personnel responded to the school.
The incident triggered urgent safety measures as authorities worked to secure the campus, assess casualties and coordinate the emergency response.
Approximately 10 minutes after the initial alert, police announced that a reunification site had been established at Journey Church, located at 61303 S Highway 97, near Goodwill and Dairy Queen.
Families of students were instructed to go to the designated location to reunite with their children.
Parents also received alerts indicating that nearby schools, including Caldera High School and Jewell Elementary, had been placed under lockdown as a precaution while law enforcement responded to the shooting.
The shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School has left families and the Bend community facing a devastating loss. The reported deaths of three children and one adult, along with the death of the teenage suspect, have made the incident one of the most serious school emergencies reported in the area.
Investigators are expected to establish the sequence of events, confirm the identities of the victims, determine how the shooting unfolded and clarify the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death.