Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
TANGIPAHOA PARISH, La. (WGNO) — Four Tangipahoa Parish Jail inmates escaped over the weekend. Two were found Monday morning, one was found Friday and one remains at-large.
According to Sheriff Daniel Edwards, 19-year-old Omarion Hookfin, 19-Avery Guidry, 20-Jamarcus Cyprian and 21-year-old Travon Johnson escaped.
Deputies say the inmates allegedly escaped the perimeter fence while outside during their recreation time on the yard. Two of them left Saturday afternoon, and the other two left Sunday.
According to Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Chief of Operations Jimmy Travis, jail personnel reportedly only learned about the first escape after the warden received a tip.
Through an investigation and inspection of the fence, deputies said a section of the fence was “found to be vulnerable and easily maneuvered in such a way that a small-statured body could slide through.”
Travis says it was a number of issues that contributed to the escapes.
“One was lack of correctional supervision, supervising inmates while they’re in the yard,” Travis explained. “Second, the wire in the yard is weakened through corrosion, and they were able to break some wire on chain link and were able to create a small gap.”
According to police records, Johnson, Hookfin and Guidry were in jail following a 2022 Hammond homicide. Cyprian was incarcerated on armed robbery and weapon charges.
After receiving a call about two people matching their descriptions, officers found Johnson and Guidry hiding in a dumpster behind the Dollar General on Pumpkin Center Road and Old Baton Rouge Highway.
Hookfin was found on Friday, May 31 and taken into custody.
Cyprian remains at large. Deputies don’t believe he is still in the parish. They warned that anyone who has assisted them will be charged.
We’ve known from Day 1 of our commitment to taking this agency and parish in a new direction that the jail would be a pivotal piece of that plan. While this current incident is no surprise, it’s not acceptable, and it furthers our awareness that major changes to the entire jail system, not just its structure, must remain one of our most critical priorities. I and my team are deeply involved in this current response, operational and physical review, as well as in engaging the federal, state and local partners we know we will need to address these long-standing security and staffing challenges at the jail. We ask the community to remain vigilant in assisting with locating these last two inmates and to be confident that the public’s safety is my primary concern right now.”
Sheriff-Elect Gerald Sticker
Anyone with information on the escapees’ location is asked to call Crimestoppers of Tangipahoa Parish at 1-800-554-5245.
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