Sterling Williams is a maintenance worker at the New Orleans Parish jail who was recently arrested for facilitating a prison escape, find out more about him below
Williams is now at the center of a major criminal investigation after allegedly helping ten prisoners stage an escape.
Who is jail worker Sterling Williams, New Orleans Parish Centre prison maintenance worker who helped 10 inmates escape
New Orleans jail employee arrested after allegedly helping 10 inmates escape, Investigators say Sterling Williams turned off the water in the cell after inmates asked him to. Instead of reporting them, he turned off water.
Charged with principle to escape and malfeasance. pic.twitter.com/qeJYwB6p62
— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) May 20, 2025
#BREAKING
A law enforcement source shared with @FOX8NOLA a photo of a hole in the wall of the Orleans jail where 11 inmates reportedly escaped.Scribbled around the hole are messages including “To Easy LOL.” pic.twitter.com/Tt4E9Rs5DQ
— Andrés Fuentes (@news_fuentes) May 16, 2025
According to reports, the breakout shocked the local community and ignited serious questions about internal jail operations and security lapses.
Sterling Williams arrested for facilitating a prison escape
Authorities have arrested a prison employee named Sterling Williams for helping ten inmates escape from the Orleans Parish jail. According to an arrest affidavit, Williams “willfully and maliciously” enabled the prisoners to flee. Williams reportedly shut off the water to their cell after one of the prisoners named Antoine Massey threatened him to do so with a makeshift weapon.
The prisoners, notably, executed their escape by ripping a sliding door off its tracks before tearing a toilet from the wall. They then broke the metal bars around the exposed pipe hole before scaling a wall and running across a nearby highway. Following the incident, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office released several photos showing graffiti on walls that the inmates left behind. One of the pictures showed a smug message that read:
To Easy LoL,” followed by a smiley face.
Sterling Williams charges and accusations
Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the Orleans Parish justice center was just arrested and booked into jail. He allegedly shut off to the water to the toilet to aid in the escape. He's facing 10 counts of principle to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. pic.twitter.com/xQL6VWTAck
— Mallory Smith (@mallorysmithtv) May 20, 2025
Following the arrest, Williams now faces ten counts of simple escape and one count of official misconduct. According to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, Williams confessed to turning off the water in the escape cell. He reportedly did this as an act of following instructions from one of the inmates. Instead of alerting supervisors or law enforcement, Williams deliberately chose to cooperate and enable the prisoners to escape.
Sterling Williams bio and age
Sterling Williams is a 33-year-old man who was working at the Orleans Parish jail as a maintenance employee. Prior the recent prison escape, he was largely unknown to the public. Sterling Williams was employed in the prison in a maintenance role, and had access to various areas of the jail facility. His daily duties included managing the plumbing systems in the prison. This allowed him to shut off the water to specific cells, which helped the escapees.
Details of the six prisoners on the run
While police have arrested and detained four of the escapees, six of the ten inmates are still at large and considered dangerous. Given below is a detailed list of the six players:
- Derrick Groves: convicted for a 2018 double homicide committed on Mardi Gras Day and also shot two others
- Antoine Massey: past record of previous escapes since 2007, and charged with domestic violence and vehicle theft besides being wanted for kidnapping and rape
- Lenton Vanburen: accused of a 2021 homicide in New Orleans East
- Corey Boyd: accused of killed Brandon Fees during a car burglary in 2024
- Jermaine Donald: facing multiple charges including firearms offenses, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and obstruction of justice
- Leo Tate: awaiting trial on weapons, drug, and burglary charges
In light of the incident, law enforcement agencies have warned the public to remain vigilant and report any sightings.
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