By Anadolu staff
ISTANBUL (AA) - Two people have been arrested for allegedly helping inmates who escaped from a jail in the southern US state of Louisiana, as authorities continue to search for five fugitives, Louisiana State Police said on Wednesday.
Police in a statement said Cortnie Harris, 32, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, were charged with felony counts of acting as accessories after the fact.
Harris, who is still at large, is accused of communicating by phone with an inmate before the escape and transporting two escapees to multiple locations in the city of New Orleans. The two inmates remain missing.
Baptiste allegedly stayed in contact with escapee Corey Boyd and provided him with food while he was hiding. Boyd was recaptured on Tuesday. Both suspects are being held at a local detention center.
The arrests come a day after Sterling Williams, a jail maintenance worker, was charged with assisting the escape. Authorities said he shut off the water supply, enabling inmates to remove a toilet and flee through a hole in the wall. Williams claimed he acted under threat.
A photo shared by the sheriff’s office showed graffiti above the escape hole reading “Too Easy Lol” and “We Innocent.”
Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans early Friday. Five remain unaccounted for.