Two women have been arrested for allegedly helping some of the 10 inmates who busted out of a New Orleans prison — including an accused murderer — as the manhunt for five of the escapees continues.
Cortnie Harris, 32, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, are facing felony accomplice charges for allegedly helping some of the prisoners who were caught on security camera breaking out of the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility on Friday night, according to the Louisiana State Police.
Before the Hollywood-esque escape, Harris had been in phone contact with one of the inmates who had not yet been captured, police said, without identifying which of the fugitives.
Harris is also accused of transporting two of the escapees — both still at large — around multiple locations in New Orleans. Police again did not identify which two inmates.
Baptiste, meanwhile, allegedly spoke with accused murderer Corey Boyd on the phone and social media before he broke out — then helped get him food while he was in hiding, according to police.
Boyd, who is charged with killing a man during a car burglary last year, was taken into custody in New Orleans earlier this week.
It’s not clear if Harris and Baptiste knew each other. Both women were arrested and charged with felonies for their involvement.
The charges mean three people have now been accused of aiding the escapees.
Prison worker Sterling Williams, 33, allegedly admitted cutting off water in the cells so the inmates could pull the toilet from the wall and escape through a hole, blaming it on one of the inmates threatening to shank him if he refused to help.
The inmates then scaled and then hopped the jail’s barbed wire fence and then ran across the highway into a neighborhood before changing clothes.
So far, five of the prisoners have been caught while five are still on the loose.
The five who remain at large “are considered to be armed and dangerous,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said.
Harris and Baptiste were booked at the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison.
“Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable. Harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and will not be tolerated,” LSP said in a statement.
