Ninth New Orleans inmate captured after over a month at large, one more remains on the run

Louisiana State Police on Friday announced that a ninth inmate who escaped from a New Orleans city jail last month has been captured, meaning that one more person remains at large.

Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center just after midnight on May 16 but were not discovered missing until a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m. that day. Authorities say the inmates, after removing the toilet and breaching a wall behind it, escaped from the jail through a loading dock door, before scaling fences and crossing the I-10 highway.

State police identified the latest inmate as 33-year-old Antoine Massey, who was captured at a New Orleans home, according to NBC News. He will now be transported to a state correctional facility outside the area.

The man was initially incarcerated for domestic abuse involving strangulation, motor vehicle theft and a parole violation.

The arrest comes as state and local officials continue to search for the final escapee, 27-year-old Derrick Groves, who was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in October. The other eight were arrested in May.

Authorities have arrested and accused over a dozen people of helping the inmates escape, including one maintenance worker at the facility who has been accused of turning off the water in the toilet that was removed. The worker has denied the accusation. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.