BOGALUSA, La. -- Washington Parish Jail officers interrupted what has been described as a "trial run" for a jail escape Wednesday night. Four inmates in an overflow area gained access to an unused elevator shaft and planned to use it to descend to the ground outside the jail where they would attempt to scale the fence.
A jail officer caught the unusual activity on surveillance camera monitors and alerted the jail staff on duty. The staff responded and identified the four inmates involved.
"These inmates thought that a busy holiday weekend would be a good time to escape. It just didn’t work out for them. Even with our worn-out building and lack of resources, our jail staff does an excellent job in managing the most undisciplined people in Washington Parish," Chief of Corrections Jim Miller stated.
Sheriff Rand Seal attributed the escape attempt to the jail's poor conditions.
“The Washington Parish Jail has outlived its usefulness," Seal said. "Many doors and locks are inoperable and the jail infrastructure is failing."
Seal said the jail may have been suitable when it was built thirty-five years ago, but not anymore.
"There is not enough space," Seal said. "Inmate housing areas are too small."
According to Seal, the area where the four men were being held was not designed to hold inmates for an extended period of time and were only there due to a lack of space.
The inmates were identified as Sidney Ray Cotton, 31, Dewayne Blackwell, 31, John McGowan, 49, and 25-year-old Joseph Anthony Peoples.
The incident remains under investigation. More charges are expected for the prisoners involved.
