Authorities recapture 3 more New Orleans jail escapees, last two of 10 remain

Two New Orleans jail inmates remain at large after three more were recaptured a week-and-a-half following their escape with five other inmates.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) on Monday announced that inmate Lenton Vanburen had been recaptured.

"CAPTURED: Inmate Lenton Vanburen is now back in custody. He was picked up in Baton Rouge," Murrill posted on X. "I’m very proud of our DOJ Fugitive Apprehension Unit’s work with our partners in [Baton Rouge Police Department] and [Louisiana State Police]. Vanburen was originally incarcerated on charges of parole violation, possession of firearm by felon, and illegal carrying of a weapon. He will now face additional charges related to the escape."

Baton Rouge is 72 miles northwest of New Orleans.

Louisiana State Police on Monday added that inmates "Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were arrested in Walker County, Texas by the Texas Department of Public Safety."

Walker County, Texas, is about 330 miles west of New Orleans.

The Huntsville Police Department announced on Monday that it had apprehended Tate and Donald following a high-speed chase with other law enforcement agencies.

"Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were arrested on May 26th after leading law enforcement officers from several agencies on a high-speed chase through the Huntsville area," the police department posted on Facebook. "The pursuit ended near US 190 and Geneva, where both subjects were taken into custody."

The two remaining escaped inmates who have yet to be caught are Derrick Groves, who was convicted of a 2018 Mardi Gras mass shooting; and Antoine Massey, who has a history of escaping, was being held on domestic abuse and vehicle theft, and is wanted in St. Tammany Parish for kidnapping and rape.

The inmates, including those already captured, 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. later 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.

As authorities search for the last two inmates still at large, 13 people have been arrested in connection with allegedly assisting them, CNN reported.