(Image: Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office)
A 59-year-old Louisiana woman has been arrested for allegedly assisting her grandson in the aftermath of a high-profile jail escape in New Orleans. Connie Weeden was charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact after police uncovered evidence that she had communicated with and sent money to her grandson, Jermaine Donald, before and after his escape.
Weeden was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center. According to authorities, she used a cellphone app to send cash to Donald, one of ten inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish jail on May 26.
“Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable,” Louisiana State Police said in a statement. “Harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and will not be tolerated.”
Donald is among eight of the ten inmates who have since been re-captured. He was one of three escapees recently arrested one in Baton Rouge and two others in Walker County, Texas. Two men, Derrick Groves, 27, and Antoine Massey, 32, remain at large.
The group’s escape has raised serious concerns about jail security. The inmates reportedly exited through a faulty cell door, squeezed through a hole behind a toilet, and scaled a fence to flee. In a brazen gesture, the escapees left a message at the scene: “To Easy LoL,” with an arrow pointing toward the hole they used to get out, reports WDSU.
Jail officials only realized the men were missing after a morning headcount, hours after the escape had occurred. Authorities also arrested a jail maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, 33, who allegedly aided the escape by turning off the water to the toilet. Williams claimed he was threatened by one of the inmates into doing so.
Many of the escapees, including Donald, were awaiting trial or sentencing for serious crimes, including murder. The escape and subsequent arrests have sparked scrutiny of jail operations and highlighted how quickly a local incident can evolve into a multistate manhunt. Police say the investigation is ongoing, and they continue to warn the public that helping fugitives will result in prosecution.
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