Authorities in Louisiana are looking for an inmate who escaped jail for the second time in a year after a member of the public tipped them off Thursday.
Tra’Von Johnson, 19, was awaiting trial in Tangipahoa Parish Jail for his alleged role in a 2022 Hammond-area home invasion where a man was killed and his child was injured, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.
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The sheriff's office said it received a call just before 10 p.m. on Thursday from a member of the public who asked if Johnson was still in custody.
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SIGN UP "Following an immediate headcount of the jail population and a review of Johnson’s movements throughout the day, it was determined Johnson escaped around 4:30 p.m. when another inmate helped lift him over the perimeter fence," the sheriff's office said in a statement, adding that Johnson was the only inmate to have escaped Thursday.
No information was immediately available about anyone who allegedly assisted Johnson in his escape.
This is Johnson's second escape from the jail in a year, according to the sheriff's office, who said he was one of four inmates who broke out of the facility "a year ago this month." Details about Johnson's 2024 escape were not immediately available.
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The sheriff's office said it called on law enforcement partners for help in the search to find Johnson, alerted victims of his escape and contacted his family members and "known associates."
Johnson is 5 feet and 5 inches, weighs 120 pounds and is from the Tickfaw area, according to the sheriff's office. Anyone who sees Johnson or has information on his whereabouts is encouraged to get in touch with the sheriff's office.
Johnson's escape isn't the only prison break that has plagued Louisiana this week.
A week ago in New Orleans, 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Justice Center, a realization that was discovered during a routine headcount. Five of the 10 inmates have since been apprehended, with the remaining five still at-large.
Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the facility, has been accused of cutting off the water so inmates could pull the toilet from the wall, leading to their escape, according to officials, who also said three employees were placed on leave without pay. It’s not clear whether Williams was one of those employees.
More than 200 law enforcement personnel are assisting in the search for the five who remain at large, officials said.
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