Hutson Claims May 16 Jailbreak Was Politically Driven at Sheriff Forum

Political Implications of the Jailbreak

At a public campaign forum held in New Orleans on July 29, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson made a notable statement regarding a recent jailbreak that occurred at the facility she oversees. The incident, which took place on May 16, involved ten inmates escaping from the jail. Hutson suggested that the event might have been politically motivated, sparking a heated discussion during the Step Up for Action forum at the Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Broadmoor.

With just under 11 weeks until the primary election, Hutson is seeking re-election for a second term. She joined four of her five challengers—Democrats Bob Murray, Julian Parker, Edwin Shorty Jr., and Michelle Woodfork—at the forum. However, Republican candidate Ernest Lee Sr. did not attend. The candidates addressed various topics, including staffing, funding, ongoing projects at the Orleans Justice Center jail, navigating the federal consent decree, and handling conflicts between city ordinances and state or federal laws.

During the Q&A session, a moderator read a question from the audience directed at Hutson: “Do you find this suspicious and do you find the recent jailbreaks as politically motivated?” This question came in the wake of the May 16 escape, where nine of the ten inmates were eventually recaptured, but four-time convicted killer Derrick Groves remained at large.

Hutson acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating that the jail's design makes an escape highly unlikely without external assistance. "This isn’t ‘CSI New Orleans,’ where everything gets wrapped up in an hour," she said. "We’ve got to look at hundreds of hours of film, listen to phone calls. There’s a lot that’s being done to find out exactly what happened."

The other candidates responded critically to Hutson's remarks, particularly given the timing of the comments. Just four days prior, there had been a significant error involving the release of violent offender Khalil Bryan instead of another inmate whose bond had been posted. Additionally, the public was not informed about this mistake for 14 hours.

Edwin Shorty Jr. stated that while he does not hold the sheriff responsible for the jailbreak itself, he criticizes her response. "I don’t hold the sheriff responsible for a jailbreak. What I hold the sheriff responsible for is the response to the jailbreak. I hold her for not knowing about the jailbreak for several hours."

Julian Parker questioned the implication that the inmates orchestrated the escape for political reasons. "To insinuate that 10 guys that didn’t want to be in jail turned the water off ... and did it for political reasons?" he asked.

Michelle Woodfork was more direct, calling the incident "incompetence" and criticizing the leadership and management within the sheriff's office. Bob Murray went further, suggesting that Hutson should be charged with malfeasance in office, calling her comments "terrible."

In her final statements, Hutson emphasized the political nature of the sheriff's office. "The sheriff’s offices are political offices," she said. "That does not accuse anyone of anything. But you have to understand, they are political offices, and the people in there are political."

The primary election is set for October 11, and the debate over the jailbreak and its implications continues to shape the campaign discourse.