Third Louisiana inmate who escaped through degraded jail wall captured
- - Third Louisiana inmate who escaped through degraded jail wall captured
Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY December 22, 2025 at 6:31 AM
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The last of three inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail by removing mortar and concrete blocks from a degraded part of a wall earlier this month has been captured, authorities said.
Keith Anthony Eli II, 24, was taken into custody in Opelousas, Louisiana, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said in a news release on Dec. 19. Opelousas is a small city in St. Landry Parish, about 138 miles from New Orleans.
“Acting quickly on information, Narcotics Detectives and SWAT converged on a structure in Opelousas and were able to apprehend Keith Eli without incident," St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said in a statement.
At the time of the escape, Eli and two other inmates — 24-year-old Johnathan Jevon Joseph and 26-year-old Joseph Allen Harrington — were being held at the St. Landry Parish Jail on violent criminal charges, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities had discovered the escape on the morning of Dec. 3, Guidroz said. The three inmates found a "degrading part of an upper wall area" and, over time, were able to remove the mortar and concrete blocks to create a hole large enough to escape, he said.
They then used sheets and other items to scale down the outer wall of the jail, drop onto a roof, and lower themselves to the ground, according to Guidroz. Following the discovery of the escape, the sheriff's office warned the public not to approach the inmates.
Two inmates were located soon after the escape, while Eli remained on the run for more than two weeks, the sheriff's office said. The agency urged people with additional information about the escape to contact the sheriff's office or Crime Stoppers, an anonymous crime tip reporting program.
Inmates were being held on 'charges of a violent nature'
The sheriff's office warned the public that the three inmates were being held on "charges of a violent nature."
Eli had been charged with attempted second-degree murder, according to Guidroz. He now faces a charge of aggravated escape, the sheriff said.
Joseph was charged with being a principal to first-degree rape, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and multiple firearms charges, Guidroz said. Harrington's charges included home invasion, aggravated burglary, and aggravated assault with a firearm, among several others.
Guidroz previously told USA TODAY that Joseph was recaptured on Dec. 5, while Harrington was found soon after the escape. The reported that Harrington killed himself after he was located, according to neighboring Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux.
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Latest incident involving Louisiana jails
The Dec. 3 escape marked the latest incident involving a Louisiana jail in 2025. Earlier this year, 10 inmates brazenly escaped from a New Orleans jail.
Authorities previously said the inmates fled through a hole in a cell wall after ripping away a toilet and sink unit in the early morning of May 16. Most of the escapees were caught in the weeks after, and since then, multiple people have been charged with helping the inmates escape or stay on the run.
The final inmate was recaptured on Oct. 8, nearly five months after the escape. Derrick Groves, a convicted murderer, was discovered in Atlanta and taken back into custody after a standoff.
In July, the same New Orleans jail mistakenly released an inmate after mixing him up with someone else. He was taken back into custody almost a month later.
Amid the search for the New Orleans jail escapee, another inmate who fled a different Louisiana jail was recaptured for the second time in May. Several deputies were placed on leave for making errors that led to the escape.
Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Louisiana inmate who escaped through jail wall has been captured
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