NEW ORLEANS — The Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC) and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) held a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon to update the public on 17-year-old escapee – and accused carjacker – Carlos Taylor, who has been at large since Monday.
The teen escaped custody after a court hearing on that day.
During the press conference, JJIC Executive Director Dichelle Williams was questioned multiple times regarding the lack of timely, lawful notification to the public upon Taylor's escape.
Despite the JJIC claiming that notifications were sent immediately, Williams redacted those claims and admitted that errors were made in communication.
"There was an error in communication," she explained. "In transparency, we could have went [sic] with the error, but when I reviewed it upon my return, I felt I had a duty to give the citizens of New Orleans accurate information – and that's what I did."
Authorities say that juvenile jail officers chased Taylor but lost track of him after he scaled a fence and crossed nearby I-610. Shortly afterward, Taylor is accused of committing an unarmed carjacking of a 72-year-old woman in the 1100 block of Florida Avenue near the LSU Dental School.
Taylor had been arrested Friday and booked with aggravated assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile, illegal use of a weapon, and aggravated criminal damage to property, the NOPD said.
Taylor’s birthday is listed as Sept. 17, meaning he recently became an adult in the criminal justice system, but raising questions about the dates of the earlier crimes for which he had been booked.
The city issued a statement Tuesday that the juvenile lockup “will be restricting juvenile movement until a thorough security assessment and investigation is completed."
Another concern expressed by state officials is the apparent failure of New Orleans authorities to follow a new state law requiring authorities to notify the public immediately about any juvenile escape.
“If he escapes, you've got to notify within 10 minutes. And that wasn't done,” said State Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, the lawmaker responsible for the new law demanding immediate public notification. “The law was designed to protect the public when there's an escape of a juvenile from any facility from anywhere. We've got to pound it in their heads that this is what has to take place when something like this happens again.”
A JJIC spokesperson said that on-site law enforcement was notified about Taylor's escape in a timely manner.
"Internally the staff was actively abiding to our policies and procedures as far as our emergency operations to make sure that we had an accurate head count of the youth in the facility, and to make sure no other youth had escaped along with Carlos Taylor," stated Williams.
When pressed about the delay in notifying the public, Williams reiterated they notified on-site law enforcement, as well as joined in the hunt for Taylor.
"The staff on hand at JJIC notified on-site law enforcement," she said. "JJIC staff also jumped into action in pursuit in our city vehicles trying to locate Carlos Taylor. It was not a disrespect or disregard for the law, it was just trying to apprehend a youth that just got out of the facility while also trying to maintain internal order, policy and procedure and give an account for all other youth in the facility."
Watch complete press conference below:
Both the JJIC and NOPD ask anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Taylor to call Crimestoppers at 822-1111. A cash reward of $2,500 is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
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