Police arrest third woman accused of helping escaped Louisiana convicts

Louisiana State Police arrested a 59-year-old woman for allegedly helping 10 inmates break out of Orleans Parish Jail last week, the third woman arrested in connection with assisting the escape.

Connie Weeden, a 59-year-old from Slidell, was arrested and charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact for allegedly “assisting the fugitives” in the May 16 incident, Louisiana State Police said in a Thursday night statement.

She was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center, and it is unclear whether she has retained a lawyer.

So far, five of the escapees have been found and arrested while five remain “unaccounted for,” police said.

Two other women, Cortnie Harris and Corvanntay Baptiste, were arrested and charged on Wednesday for allegedly being accessories after the fact in assisting the jailbreak.

A maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, was arrested and charged on Tuesday for allegedly cutting a prison cell’s water supply so the inmates could remove a toilet and escape through a hole behind it.

Police said their investigation found that Weeden was in phone contact with one of the still-missing fugitives, Jermaine Donald, both before and after the escape.

“Furthermore, investigators determined that after the escape, Weeden provided cash to Donald via a cell phone app,” police said.

The three women each face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Police said that officers from local, state and federal agencies “will continue to pursue every lead until the remaining fugitives are located,” as the search for the missing men could stretch into its second week.

“Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable,” the police statement added.

Anyone with information about the fugitives’ whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI, Crimestoppers, or the Louisiana State Police. For information that leads to arrests, there are combined rewards of $20,000.