Maintenance worker Sterling Williams arrested, accused of helping with New Orleans jail escape

A maintenance worker at the Orleans Parish jail, where 10 inmates escaped Friday morning, was arrested after authorities said he helped facilitate the jailbreak.

A maintenance worker at the Orleans Parish jail, where 10 inmates escaped Friday morning, was arrested after authorities said he helped facilitate the jailbreak.

Sterling Williams, 33, allegedly cut off the water so the inmates could pull the toilet from the wall, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced in a Tuesday press release. He is being held at the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center on charges of principle to simple escape and malfeasance in office.

A photo released by the sheriff’s office last week showed a hole in the wall behind the toilet with phrases such as "To Easy Lol" and "We Innocent" written above it.  

"Williams admitted to agents that one of the escapees advised him to turn the water off in the cell where the inmates escaped from," Murrill said in a news release. "Instead of reporting the inmate, Williams turned the water off as directed allowing the inmates to carry out their scheme to successfully escape."

As of Tuesday morning, four of the inmates had been captured, while six remained on the run. More than 200 law enforcement personnel are assisting in the search, officials said. The reward for information leading to the capture of each man has grown to $20,000.