Orleans

The U.S. Navy’s San Antonio class amphibious warfare ship USS New Orleans suffered a fire today while it was off White Beach in Uruma City on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

A U.S. official has confirmed to TWZ that the blaze has been contained, but it is unclear at this time if it has been fully extinguished. The fire started at about 5:00 PM local time (4:00 AM Eastern), according to NHK in Japan. At the time of writing, there have been no reports of casualties, and the cause and extent of the damage remain unknown. The New Orleans is homeported in Sasebo on the Japanese home island of Kyushu to the north, and is assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet.

“Crews are responding to a fire aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) this evening, Aug. 20, (Japan Time), which is in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan,” another Navy spokesperson had earlier told TWZ in a statement. “We will provide more details as they become available.”

“Smoke was confirmed rising from the bow of the ship, but so far there have been no requests to evacuate the crew,” a Japanese Coast Guard official told NHK. A Navy spokesperson confirmed to us that no evacuation order has been given.

Videos from the scene posted by NHK show two firefighting tugs located on both sides of the bow pouring water on the vessel. A Navy spokesperson told us the tugs were from White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa.

Footage showing firefighting ships with the Japanese Coast Guard fighting a fire onboard the San Antonio-Class Amphibious Transport Dock, USS New Orleans (LPD-18), off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. pic.twitter.com/czcUFgvSO8

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 20, 2025

NEW: Fire broke out aboard the USS New Orleans (LPD-18) while docked at White Beach, Okinawa, Japan.

US Navy & Japan Self-Defense Forces fought the blaze.

Cause, damage, and casualties not yet confirmed. pic.twitter.com/xbWLGoA1Xd

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 20, 2025

NHK reported that Japan Self-Defense Force vessels arrived to conduct firefighting efforts, and the Japan Coast Guard had also dispatched a patrol boat to the scene. A Navy spokesperson earlier told TWZ that they believed that the ship’s crew, plus the two tugs from White Beach, had been actively fighting the fire.

Okinawa’s White Beach is “a staging area for Marines and their equipment based on Okinawa,” according to the Navy. “This departure point allows utility landing craft and air-cushioned landing vehicles to ferry troops, vehicles and equipment to amphibious ships pier side or at sea.”

The cause of the fire and extent of the damage will be investigated, a Navy spokesperson also told TWZ.

Update, 5:52 PM Eastern:

The U.S. 7th Fleet has now put out a statement regarding the fire aboard USS New Orleans, which it says was extinguished at approximately 4:00 AM local time on August 21. This is roughly 12 hours after the blaze began. Two crew members were treated aboard the ship for unspecified “minor injuries.” An investigation is now underway.

The full statement is as follows:

“A fire aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), which is anchored near White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, was declared extinguished at 4 a.m., Aug. 21.

The fire began at approximately 4 p.m., Aug. 20. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

New Orleans Sailors’ firefighting efforts were supported by the crew of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22), which is moored at White Beach Naval Facility.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force; Japan Coast Guard; and U.S. Navy commands from across Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa also provided critical support to the firefighting efforts.  

Two Sailors were taken to New Orleans’ medical for minor injuries.

New Orleans’ crew will remain aboard the ship. Additional services and berthing are available aboard San Diego and Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa, if needed.

Continue to follow U.S. 7th Fleet for updates.”

Contact the author: [email protected]

The U.S. Navy says the impacts from a fire that burned for approximately 12 hours aboard the USS New Orleans earlier this week are limited to forward areas of the ship, though a full assessment of the damage is still ongoing. The San Antonio class amphibious warfare ship, with its crew still aboard, arrived under its own power today at the White Beach Naval Facility on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Readers can first get caught up on what had previously been known about the incident in our initial report here.

A full statement put out today from the U.S. 7th Fleet reads:

“The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) returned under its own propulsion to White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 22.

New Orleans is providing its own berthing and galley services remain open, allowing for the crew of nearly 380 Sailors to continue to work and reside aboard their ship. Several Sailors were treated for minor injuries and have returned to full duty. Family members have been updated on the status of the ship and crew.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and damage assessors are presently aboard inspecting the impact, which was limited to the forward area of the ship.”

An initial Navy statement said two sailors sustained unspecified injuries, and that they were treated aboard the ship, before that was changed to “several.” A press release today from the U.S. Embassy in Japan also only mentions two injured sailors, adding that they have returned to duty. TWZ has reached out for more information.

“Another defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details about the ship, said the fire appeared to be contained to the middle decks near the ship’s bow,” Military Times had also reported on Tuesday, which is in line with the Navy’s latest statement. “The official added that multiple decks had been affected, without specifying how many decks were burned.”

The fire first broke out at about 4:00 PM local time on Aug. 20 and was extinguished at approximately 4:00 AM local time on Aug. 21, according to the Navy. The Japan Coast Guard separately told multiple news outlets that firefighting activities continued until 9:00 AM local time.

“New Orleans Sailors’ firefighting efforts were supported by the crew of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22), which is moored at White Beach Naval Facility,” the Navy also said in a release put out on the night of Aug. 20-21. “Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force; Japan Coast Guard; and U.S. Navy commands from across Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa also provided critical support to the firefighting efforts.”

Mayor LaToya Cantrell made history — becoming the first New Orleans mayor to be indicted while in office — after federal prosecutors on Friday charged her with multiple counts of wire fraud, obstruction of justice and lying to a grand jury.

The 11 counts specific to Cantrell stem from an investigation into her alleged affair with former New Orleans Police Department Officer Jeffrey Vappie, who worked on Cantrell’s security detail prior to his retirement from the force and has also been federally indicted.

The U.S. attorney’s office alleges, in a 48-page indictment, that Cantrell and Vappie illegally used city funds to travel around the country together, falsely claiming that the expenditures were related to city business, then conspired to cover it up. Federal investigators combed through 15,000 text messages sent between the two — and later deleted by Cantrell, according to the indictment — in which they discussed their relationship and travel plans.

What comes next?

With no political precedent to turn to in order to understand how the following months will play out, legal and governmental experts in New Orleans have relied on the rules set out in New Orleans’ Home Charter and similar incidents from other cities to inform predictions for the future.

“I don’t expect this as a legal matter to have any effect on her ability to be mayor of the city of New Orleans,” said attorney and Loyola College of Law professor Dane Ciolino. “Now, as a practical and political matter, that’s another issue.”

Ciolino added that when Cantrell appears in court for an initial hearing and arraignment — which is now scheduled for Sept. 10 — it is likely there will be restrictions placed on her movement as a condition of release, meaning that she will need to consult with a judge before engaging in any international travel, or perhaps even travel outside of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

“It won’t be any impairment to her doing her job,” he said. “She’ll just have to seek permission, which would be, I suspect, liberally granted to her.”

An in-office conviction would force Cantrell out

Although it may be unlikely that Cantrell will go to trial before her second term as mayor ends in January, she would be forced to step down if she were convicted of a felony.

Under state law, public officials must be removed from office if they are convicted of a federal or state felony. Under the city charter, if Cantrell were to plead guilty or chose not to contest the charges, she would face immediate removal.

If a mayor pleads not guilty and is convicted after a trial, the city charter calls for an automatic, unpaid suspension until the conviction is finalized through the appeals process, at which time she would be removed. If Cantrell were suspended but later made a successful appeal to overturn the conviction, she would receive back pay.

What happens after a mayor is removed from office?

The charter also states that if a mayor is removed or resigns with less than a year left in the term, the City Council must elect one of the two at-large council members to fill the seat, in lieu of a special election. Helena Moreno and JP Morrell are currently the two at-large City Council members, with Morrell currently serving as council president.

Morrell is running for a second term in his seat. Moreno, meanwhile, is actively running her own mayoral campaign and is thus far the front-runner in the race to succeed Cantrell. (The New Orleans municipal election will be held on Oct. 11, with a runoff — should it be necessary — set for Nov. 15.)

Moreno’s office put out a public statement the day that the charges were announced, saying that the mayor is entitled to the presumption of innocence and “a vigorous defense.”

Moreno’s statement mirrored many of her colleagues — neutral on the subject matter involved in the charges, choosing instead to reframe and discuss how to best serve the city. Although Cantrell’s relationship with the City Council has been rocky throughout her second term, there have been no public calls from members of the City Council for her to resign.

“The announcement today reminds us of the need to let the justice system work in a fair, timely fashion and without regard to politics or preference,” Councilmember Oliver Thomas, who is also running for mayor, wrote in a statement. “These are critical times for our city to get back on track and to stay focused on building a city that works and thrives for everyone.”

Councilmember Eugene Green released a statement similar in content, adding that it was a difficult day for New Orleans.

“My focus will continue to be on moving New Orleans forward — ensuring the safety of our citizens, strengthening our neighborhoods, and meeting the needs of my constituents,” Green wrote.

No indication of stepping down

A similar saga unfolded in Nashville, Tenn., in 2018 when then-Mayor Megan Barry — who, like Cantrell, was the city’s first female mayor — had an affair with a city-employed security officer who traveled with her on the city’s dime.

Barry pleaded guilty to a felony and resigned from office immediately after. Her political career was short-lived in the aftermath of the scandal as she mounted an unsuccessful run for Congress then pivoted to write a memoir.

Cantrell has not made any public statements since the indictment was announced by prosecutors. She skipped the launch of Amtrak’s new train service from New Orleans to Mobile, Ala., where she was slated to be a guest speaker on Saturday, but was back to work by Monday.

Cantrell’s communications team did not respond to Verite News requests for comment about whether her governance plans will change in response to the charges. Cantrell’s attorney, Eddie Castaing, declined to comment on the charges. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said in a statement Monday that the mayor is focused on doing her job for the city of New Orleans.

Mediratta writes for Verite News, in partnership with the Associated Press.

Aug. 16 (UPI) — New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell is facing federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges after being indicted this week along with a former member of her security detail.

Cantrell and retired New Orleans Police Department officer Jeffrey Vappie were both indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other charges after Vappie was allegedly paid for official duty while the two were engaged in “personal activities,” according to a statement issued by the Justice Department.

Authorities contend the two began a relationship in 2021, during which time Vappie was paid as an on-duty member of Cantrell’s personal security team. Vappie retired in 2004.

“They embarked on a scheme to defraud the City of New Orleans and NOPD by exploiting Vappie’s job and Cantrell’s authority as Mayor to have the City and NOPD pay Vappie’s salary and expenses during times Vappie claimed to be on duty but when the was actually engaged in personal activities, often with Cantrell,” the Justice Department indictment reads.

The allegations contend Vappie and Cantrell’s activities extended to out-of-state trips. Cantrell allegedly shifted policy and started bringing members of her Executive Protection Unit on the out-of-state trips around five months after Vappie joined the EPU.

“Cantrell said she would ‘make it happen’ to have Vappie accompany her on a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., a trip that they both agreed that they ‘needed,'” the Justice Department statement reads.

The City of New Orleans was billed over $70,000 on Vappie’s behalf for the three-day trip.

The couple also allegedly used a city-owned apartment during their relationship.

Cantrell was elected in 2018 after serving as a Member of the New Orleans City Council, making her the first female mayor in the city’s history.

Cantrell has not commented publicly on the allegations.

Police say the pair tried to hide the affair and have recovered thousands of texts and pictures from the What’sApp messaging platform.

Both are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Vappie also faces twelve counts of wire fraud. Cantrell is also named in six of the latter charges.

Additionally, Vappie is charged with making a false statement to the FBI, while Cantrell faces two counts of making a false declaration before a grand jury.

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted Friday in what prosecutors called a years-long scheme to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, who is accused of being paid as if he was working even when they met alone in apartments and traveled to vineyards for wine tasting.

Cantrell faces charges of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction, less than five months before she leaves office because of term limits. The first female mayor in New Orleans’ 300-year history was elected twice but now becomes the city’s first mayor to be charged while in office.

“Public corruption has crippled us for years and years,” acting U.S. Atty. Michael Simpson said, referring to Louisiana’s notorious history. “And this is extremely significant.”

Cantrell’s bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, was facing charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury returned an 18-count indictment Friday that added Cantrell to the case.

They are accused of exchanging encrypted messages through WhatsApp to avoid detection and then deleting the conversations. The mayor and Vappie have said their relationship was strictly professional, but the indictment portrayed it as “personal and intimate.”

The city of New Orleans said in a statement that it was aware of the indictment and that the mayor’s attorney is reviewing it.

“Until his review is complete, the City will not comment further on this matter,” the statement said.

Cantrell hasn’t sent out a message on her official social media feed on X since July 15, when she said the city was experiencing historic declines in crime.

In a WhatsApp exchange, the indictment says, Vappie reminisced about accompanying Cantrell to Scotland in October 2021, saying that was “where it all started.”

Cantrell and Vappie used WhatsApp for more than 15,000 messages, including efforts to harass a citizen, delete evidence, make false statements to FBI agents, “and ultimately to commit perjury before a federal grand jury,” Simpson said.

They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and she arranged for him to attend 14 trips, Simpson said. The trips, he added, were described by her as times “when they were truly alone.”

New Orleans taxpayers paid more than $70,000 for Vappie’s travel, the prosecutor said.

Authorities cited a September 2022 rendezvous on Martha’s Vineyard, a trip Cantrell took instead of attending a conference in Miami. Vappie’s travel to the island was covered by the city to attend a separate conference, authorities said. “The times when we are truly [traveling] is what spoils me the most,” the mayor wrote to him that month.

Simpson said Cantrell lied in an affidavit that she activated a function on her phone that automatically deleted messages in 2021 though she didn’t activate that feature until December 2022, a month after the media began speculating on the pair’s conduct.

When a private citizen took photos of them dining together and drinking wine, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order, Simpson said.

Vappie retired from the Police Department in 2024.

Cantrell and her remaining allies have said that she has been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials, her executive powers at City Hall sabotaged. Simpson denied claims that any of it played a role in the investigation.

“It’s irrelevant that it’s romance or that it’s female,” he told reporters, adding that the allegations were “an incredible betrayal of people’s confidence in their own government.”

Cantrell, a Democrat, has clashed with City Council members during a turbulent second term and survived a recall effort in 2022.

“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell, said as news of the indictment spread.

In 2014, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bribery, money laundering, fraud and tax crimes. The charges stemmed from his two terms as mayor from 2002 to 2010. He was granted supervised release from prison in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As she heads into her final months in office, Cantrell has alienated former confidants and supporters, and her civic profile has receded. Her early achievements were eclipsed by self-inflicted wounds and bitter feuds with a hostile City Council, political observers say. The mayor’s role has weakened since voters approved changes to the city’s charter that were meant to curb mayoral authority.

Earlier this year, Cantrell said she has faced “very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable” treatment. Her husband, attorney Jason Cantrell, died in 2023.

Mustian, Brook and Hollingsworth write for the Associated Press. Mustian and Brook reported from New Orleans, Hollingsworth from Mission, Kan. AP writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.

LaToya Cantrell is accused of ‘defrauding’ the city, paying Jeffrey Vappie as if he were on duty while on trips and trysts.

The mayor of New Orleans has been indicted on conspiracy, fraud and obstruction charges by a federal grand jury after a long-running investigation.

The charges released on Friday against LaToya Cantrell were based on accusations that she tried to hide a romantic relationship with bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie, who was paid as if on duty while the pair conducted their affair.

The indictment states that Cantrell and Vappie “developed a personal and intimate relationship” in 2021, defrauding the city as they attempted to “hide their relationship and maximise their time together”.

Acting United States Attorney Michael Simpson said the pair met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and that Cantrell had arranged for Vappie to attend 14 trips.

The trips, which included wine tasting at vineyards, were described by her as times “when they were truly alone”, said Simpson.

He dubbed the affair a “three-year fraud scheme that we allege exploited their public authority and positions”.

Cantrell allegedly lied in an affidavit that she had activated a function on her phone that automatically deleted messages in 2021, when she had not activated the feature until December 2022, one month after the media began speculating on the pair’s conduct.

When a private citizen took photos of the pair dining together and drinking wine, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order, said Simpson.

The mayor’s office didn’t immediately comment.

“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” said Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell.

Vappie is accused of hiding a romantic relationship with Cantrell and filing false payroll records claiming he was on duty.

He has pleaded not guilty following his indictment on charges of wire fraud and making false statements.

Cantrell, the city’s first female mayor, is term-limited and will leave office in January.

June 27 (UPI) — The second-to-last of 10 escapees from a New Orleans jailbreak last month has been recaptured after six weeks on the run, authorities said Friday.

Antoine Massey, 33, was located and arrested in a house in New Orleans on Friday night, according to the Louisiana State Police. The previous two inmates were apprehended on May 26 in Huntsville, Texas.

Officers with the NOPD, State Police, Department of Homeland Security, FBI and U.S. Marshals participated in the arrest of Massey. More than 200 law enforcement personnel participated in the manhunt since the May 16 jailbreak.

Massey was taken to a secure state correctional facility at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Agola, which is 135 miles northwest of New Orleans.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip from a citizen that led law enforcement to the house in the city’s Third District, according to New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick.

“He peacefully gave up to law enforcement who had surrounded the house,” Kirkpatrick said during a news briefing.

The house was an Airbnb, according to Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges.

Authorities are investigating whether anyone helped him.

“It’s pretty obvious over the last six weeks, to remain a fugitive that long, he had assistance — he had help,” Hodges said at the briefing.

Earlier this month, Louisiana authorities found a video online that appeared to show Massey pleading to rappers and President Donald Trump to help him while he was still on the run.

Massey was incarcerated for domestic abuse battery involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation, state police said.

Authorities increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of Massey and Derric Groves to $50,000 per inmate last month.

Groves is last remaining escapee.

“Law enforcement personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies will continue to work around the clock to locate the one remaining fugitive,” Louisiana State police said in a news release.

Kilpatrick addressed Grove during the briefing: “We are going to capture you. You will be taken into custody. But you still have the option to peacefully turn yourself in, and we will make an appeal to you to do so.

“All of these captures have been able to be done peacefully and that is also the end of the game. We don’t want anyone hurt.”

Groves was convicted last year of two counts of second-degree murder in a 2018 Mardi Gras Day shooting. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.

The inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center early in the morning after climbing through a hole behind a toilet. Their disappearance was unnoticed for several hours.

“We’re installing new razor wire, tightening physical barriers, upgrading locking mechanisms,” Kilpatrick said. “These all play an important role in the safety of our residents, staff and the entire community

Three inmates were apprehended in New Orleans within the first 24 hours of the jailbreak.

Alleged accomplices, including Groves’ girlfriend Darriana Burton, inmayes and jail workers, have been arrested.

May 26 (UPI) — A sixth escapee from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans was captured Monday night, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced.

“Inmate Lenton Vanburen [Jr.] is now back in custody,” Murrill said in a post on X. “He was picked up in Baton Rouge.”

Murrill complimented Louisiana’s Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, State Police and the Baton Rouge Police Department for working together to locate and capture Vanburen.

She said Vanburen is charged with parole violation, possession of a firearm by a felon and illegally carrying a weapon. He will face additional charges related to the escape.

Louisiana State Police and Baton Rouge police apprehended Vanburen, WDSU reported.

He was among 10 inmates who escaped through a hole behind a toilet at the jail in New Orleans during the predawn hours May 16.

The jail staff did not discover they were missing for several hours, but five were caught within four days.

Inmates Corey Boyd, Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, Kendall Myles and Gary Price also have been apprehended after their group escape. The captured inmates have been transferred to the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Those remaining at-large are Jermaine Donald, Leo Tate Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey.

Many of the caught and at-large escapees are charged with murder.

Seven people also have been arrested for assisting in the escape and helping the inmates afterward.

May 20 (UPI) — A maintenance worker was arrested for aiding in the escape of nearly a dozen inmates from a jail in New Orleans.

Sterling Willings, 33, was arrested Monday night for allegedly facilitating the escape of 10 inmates housed at Orleans Parish Justice Center in Louisiana and was booked “without incident” into a Plaquemines Parish jail Tuesday morning, according to ABC, CBS and NOLA.

According to state Attorney General Liz Murrill, Williams told agents that one of the escapees advised him to turn the water off in the cell where the inmates escaped from.

“This is a continuing investigation, and we will provide updates as often as possible,” Murrill said Tuesday in a statement.

Throughout the investigation, three other jail employees were suspended as the search for the remaining six inmates — Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, Leo Tate, Derrick Groves and Corey Boyd — carries on.

“We will uncover all the facts eventually and anyone who aided and abetted will be prosecuted to the full extent the law allows,” added Murrill.

Three of the escapees — Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis and Kendall Myles — were apprehended within 24 hours and a fourth was arrested Monday, 21-year-old Gary C. Price.

On Friday, the 10 men escaped via a wall behind a toilet at around 1:00 a.m. CDT. Meanwhile, the escape wasn’t discovered until a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m., hours after the successful break.

More than 200 officers with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies were participating in the manhunt after the 10 men escaped Friday morning from Orleans Parish with authorities alerted in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Williams allegedly shut off the toilet water so the crew could make their exit after ripping the toilet off its foundation.

They breached a wall behind it, used a loading dock door to exit the jail and scaled fences with blankets to protect themselves from getting cut by barbed wire, according to officials. Finally, they crossed Interstate 10 and dispersed into a nearby neighborhood and took off their inmate clothes.

Sheriff Susan Hutson speculated the jailbreak could be an inside job.

“Even Stevie Wonder can see that this was an inside job,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told ABC Tuesday morning, whose office is investigating the breakout.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, meanwhile, has ordered a comprehensive jail audit.

“Ten violent offenders don’t make their way into a pod made for two and make good their escape through concrete, rebar and barbed wire, without there being some sort of inside assistance,” Williams added.

The district attorney speculated that “greed, avarice, friendship, the motives that cause men to do bad things” could be among reasons why a jail employee would risk their job to help a prisoner escape.

Williams, the prison worker, is now facing at least 10 counts of simple to principle escape and one charge of office malfeasance.

May 19 (UPI) — Authorities in New Orleans are expressing confidence they will apprehend the remaining seven of 10 escaped inmates on the loose as they increase the reward for information on the whereabouts of the fugitives.

“We’re confident at this time that we have actionable intelligence on all seven of these fugitives, and we hope in the coming day — if not the coming hours — that we have them all apprehended,” Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges told reporters Sunday in a press conference.

Ten detainees escaped police custody at the Orleans Parish jail early Friday, sparking a manhunt that has so far led to the recapture of three of them.

A reward was offered for information resulting in any of their arrests, which was increased to $20,000 Sunday, with the FBI doubling its reward to $10,000 per inmate, while both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Crime Stoppers were each increasing their rewards to $5,000 an inmate.

“We need the public’s help and we cannot do it alone,” Hodges said. “More importantly, if you are helping and assisting these fugitives, allowing them to remain uncaptured and not brought to justice, there will be consequences and there may be charges for you.”

Hodges emphasized that the recapture of these inmates occurred within the first 24 hours of their escape due to help from the public. Dkenan Dennis, 24, Kendell Myles, 23, and a 15-year-old male, have been relocated to another Louisiana state facility for their safety and the safety of others, Hodges said.

The seven inmates who remain at large have been identified as Corey Boyd, 19, Derrick Groves, 27, Jermaine Donald, 42, Lenton VanBuren, 26, Antoine Massey, 32, Leo Tate, 31, and Gary Price, 21.

“These are violent criminals and they escaped and they have consequences for their actions,” Hodges said.

FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp told reporters they “strongly believe” the escaped inmates are receiving help to evade capture.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said jail officials discovered the breakout at 8:30 a.m. local Friday during a routine headcount.

It was learned that the detainees were able to exit Thursday night due to “defective locks and doors,” it said.

They next broke through a locked cell door at about 12:23 a.m. Friday before breaching a wall behind a toilet in their housing unit and then exiting the jail through a door at about 1 a.m., scaled a wall and fled across the interstate.

Three staff members have been suspended without pay amid an internal investigation into facility operations and supervision practices in connection to the escape, the sheriff’s office said.

More than 200 officers with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are participating in the manhunt.

May 16 (UPI) — Eleven inmates escaped the Orleans Parish jail Friday morning as the New Orleans facility was locked down. Sheriff Susan Hutson said during a press conference the escapees should be considered armed and dangerous.

Louisiana State Police caught one of the suspects, according to CBS affiliate WWL. The sheriff’s office identified him as Kendell Myles.

The inmates were discovered missing at an 8:30 a.m. head count.

“We are urging the public to stay alert,” Hutson said during a news conference.

One of the escapees, Gary Price, was charged with attempted first-degree murder.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said a people believed to be victims of the inmates were evacuated from their homes and “taken to safety.” She urged any witnesses to the crimes of the inmates do the same.

The Orleans Parish Justice Center was fully locked down Friday.

According to WSDU, the inmates dug a hole inside the jail to escape.

Sheriff Hutson said several of the escaped inmates face second-degree murder charges.

The escapees are Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate, Kendell Myles, Derrick Groves, Jermain Donald, Corey Boyd, Gary Price, Robert Moody, Decannon Dennis and Keith Lewis.

An investigation into the escape is underway as a manhunt continues.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.