New Orleans jail worker thought he was unclogging a toilet, not helping 10 escape, lawyer says

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New Orleans jail worker thought he was unclogging a toilet, not helping 10 escape, lawyer says

2025-05-22 08:12 Last Updated At：08:20

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten men who broke out of a New Orleans jail last week clogged a toilet to get the water shut off so that they could escape through a hole behind it, a lawyer for a maintenance worker who is charged with helping them said Wednesday.

The worker, Sterling Williams, did not know about the men's plan and did not allow the inmates to cut a pipe behind the toilet to create an opening for their escape, attorney Michael Kennedy told The Associated Press.

The defense attorney laid out a very different narrative than that presented by authorities a day earlier, when Williams, 33, was arrested.

Authorities have said an inmate instructed Williams to turn off the water to a toilet, leading to one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history. Five of the men remained at large Wednesday.

Kennedy told the AP that after a deputy called Williams to fix a toilet, he found it overflowing.

“This was clearly all part of an orchestrated plan,” Kennedy said. Williams “was nothing more than the tool they used to turn off the water, which they knew would have to happen after clogging the toilet.”

According to an arrest affidavit that made no mention of a clogged toilet, Williams was “initially very evasive and untruthful” during an interview but ultimately told investigators that an inmate had threatened to “shank” him if he did not turn off the water. Williams could have reported the threat and the escape plan, authorities have said. They asserted that because Williams turned the water off, the inmates were “able to successfully make good” on their escape, the affidavit said.

Kennedy said Williams did not report the escape because he was “not aware” it was happening. The lawyer also addressed authorities’ statements that his client was threatened into helping the escape.

“He was not aware that there was going to be an escape,” Kennedy said. “He was not conspiring with them. He had no knowledge that he was being used.”

A message was left seeking comment from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office about Kennedy’s remarks. The sheriff said Tuesday that she believes the escape was an inside job.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams and Attorney General Liz Murrill toured the jail Wednesday morning. Williams told reporters after the tour that “certainly more than one person” was responsible for the escape but declined to share further details.

Inmate Antoine Massey, who approached Sterling Williams and said he would “shank” him as he was doing his maintenance work, was “just talking to talk” and not intimidating the maintenance worker, Kennedy said.

“Everyone seems to have leaped on that, saying he was acting out of fear. No,” Kennedy said. “Yes, someone said they would shank him. They didn’t say it in a particularly threatening manner. They said it more as an aside.”

Kennedy said the cell with the clogged toilet was for disabled inmates and should never have been in use. “No one should have been in this cell to begin with,” he said. “This cell should have been locked down.”

“It would seem obvious to me that filling up the toilet, clogging the toilet, was a portion of the escapees' plan,” Kennedy said. “They would know that whoever the maintenance person was would have to turn off the water … because it was overflowing.”

Kennedy said he was only able to meet with Williams for around 30 minutes via Zoom. He did not ask Williams whether he had finished unclogging the toilet, whether he turned the water back on, or how long he was inside the cell.

Williams did not know the name of the deputy who told him to fix the clogged toilet, Kennedy said.

Williams is worried about his safety and his future, his lawyer said. He is being held in a different facility in a separate parish.

“The most important thing I’ve learned is that these charges are ridiculous and the sheriff’s office is trying to use him as a scapegoat to minimize their own embarrassment,” Kennedy said. “He did nothing more than the job they pay him to do and now they’re attempting to sacrifice him for it.”

Williams is charged with 10 counts of principal to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office.

Also Wednesday, authorities arrested two people accused of helping some of the escapees. Cortnie Harris, 32, of New Orleans, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, of Slidell, are each charged with one felony count of being an accessory after the fact, according to a Louisiana State Police press release.

They were booked into the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center. Online jail records did not indicate whether either woman had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.

An initial investigation showed that Harris was in touch by phone with an escapee who’s still on the run and transported two escapees who still haven’t been caught to multiple locations in New Orleans, the release said. Investigators said Baptiste had been in contact by phone and social media with Corey Boyd, who has since been recaptured, and helped him get food while he was hiding.

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.