NEW ORLEANS — A jail maintenance worker accused of aiding 10 inmates in a high-profile escape says he was blindsided, not complicit. According to his attorney, Sterling Williams had no idea he was helping to set off one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history—he thought he was just unclogging a toilet.
“This was clearly all part of an orchestrated plan,” Williams’ lawyer Michael Kennedy told the Associated Press. “He was nothing more than the tool they used to turn off the water, which they knew would have to happen after clogging the toilet.”
Williams, 33, now faces 10 counts of principal to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. But Kennedy is pushing back hard, calling the charges “ridiculous” and accusing the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office of using his client as a scapegoat.
What we know: The New Orleans jail escape and the allegations
Authorities say the inmates used a flooded toilet to get a maintenance worker to shut off the water, creating the opportunity to escape through a hole behind it.
An arrest affidavit claims Williams was initially “evasive and untruthful” with investigators but later admitted an inmate threatened to “shank” him if he didn’t turn off the water. Prosecutors say Williams should have reported the threat and potential escape.
Kennedy disputed that framing. “He was not aware that there was going to be an escape,” he told the AP. “He was not conspiring with them. He had no knowledge that he was being used.”
Kennedy also downplayed the alleged threat from inmate Antoine Massey, saying it was offhand, not aggressive. “Yes, someone said they would shank him,” Kennedy said. “They didn’t say it in a particularly threatening manner. They said it more as an aside.”
‘This cell should have been locked down’
According to Kennedy, the cell with the clogged toilet was designed for disabled inmates and should not have been occupied at all. “No one should have been in this cell to begin with,” he said.
He emphasized that Williams didn’t know the deputy who told him to fix the issue and that his access to Williams has been limited to a 30-minute Zoom call.
“The most important thing I’ve learned is that these charges are ridiculous,” Kennedy said. “The sheriff’s office is trying to use him as a scapegoat to minimize their own embarrassment. He did nothing more than the job they pay him to do.”
The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office previously said it believes the escape was an inside job, but did not respond to the AP’s request for comment on Kennedy’s claims.
Authorities make additional arrests
Two others have been arrested for allegedly helping some of the New Orleans jail escapees after they got out.
Cortnie Harris, 32, of New Orleans, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, of Slidell, are each charged with being an accessory after the fact, according to a Louisiana State Police release. Investigators say Harris was in contact with an escapee still on the run and transported two others around New Orleans. Baptiste allegedly helped Corey Boyd, who has since been recaptured, by providing food and communicating via phone and social media.
Both were booked into the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center. Jail records did not list attorneys for either individual.
Community questions and credibility gaps
The escape has rattled the city and triggered renewed scrutiny on jail operations, security, and staffing accountability. With two men still at large, families and communities are left wondering whether internal lapses will overshadow deeper system failures. As for Sterling Williams, he remains behind bars in another parish, fearful for his future.
