Louisiana Manhunt Ongoing After Three-Inmate Jail Break — One Dead, One Captured, One At Large

Manhunt After Jail Break in St. Landry Parish

Authorities in Louisiana continue a manhunt for the final member of a trio of inmates who escaped a local jail after breaking through a weakened exterior wall. The facility sits roughly 130 miles northwest of New Orleans.

The three escapees were identified as Keith Eli, 24, of Opelousas; Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, of Opelousas; and Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, of Melville. According to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, the men used bedsheets and other materials to scale an outer wall, drop onto a first-floor roof and then lower themselves to the ground.

One Suspect Killed, One Captured, One Still At Large

Harrington died by suicide on Thursday after a standoff with police at a residence in Port Barre, The Associated Press reported. Records from the sheriff's office show he faced nine felony charges prior to the escape, including home invasion and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Deputies captured Joseph the day after the breakout following a foot chase. Sheriff officials said a tip led deputies to a house where he had been hiding; he fled to a nearby storage shed and surrendered. Joseph, a convicted felon, previously faced charges that included principal first-degree rape as well as drug and weapons offenses.

The third escapee, Keith Eli, remains at large. Eli is charged with attempted second-degree murder. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz urged a peaceful surrender but said deputies will continue searching until Eli is captured.

We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably, but we will not rest until he is captured, Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz said in a statement.

Investigation and Broader Context

Three jail employees have been placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation is underway. Sheriff Guidroz said jail supervisory staff will prepare a comprehensive report as the inquiry continues.

This escape follows a separate May incident in which 10 inmates fled a minimum-custody New Orleans facility after removing a toilet from a cell wall, crawling through the opening, scaling a perimeter fence and running across an interstate. Video captured that brazen escape, and one fugitive from the May incident was arrested five months later after a standoff in Atlanta.

Location notes: The standoff and related captures occurred in St. Landry Parish and nearby Port Barre; the escapees are from Opelousas and Melville, all within south-central Louisiana.