OPELOUSAS, LA. – Authorities in southwest Louisiana are searching for the last member of a trio of inmates who slipped out of the St. Landry Parish Jail through a weakened wall, in an escape that has renewed questions about jail security across the state.
Sheriff Bobby J Guidroz says the men exploited what he called a degrading section of an upper interior wall. Over time, investigators believe, they worked mortar loose and removed concrete blocks to open a gap large enough to crawl through. Once outside the cell, they used sheets and other items to climb down, first dropping onto a lower roof and then lowering themselves to the ground.
The escape took place on the morning of December 3rd at the parish jail in Opelousas, about 130 miles northwest of New Orleans. All three inmates were being held on serious violent charges.
As of the weekend, one of the escapees remained at large. Detectives and tactical teams are searching for Keith Eli of Opelousas, who is 24 years old and had been jailed on a charge of attempted second-degree murder. Officials describe him as dangerous and have urged residents not to approach him, but to call 911 or the sheriff’s office with any sightings or information.
“We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably, but we will not rest until he is captured,” Guidroz said in a statement as the search widened across rural communities and small towns around Opelousas.
The two other men who escaped with Eli have already been accounted for. Deputies say 24 year old Johnathan Jevon Joseph, also from Opelousas, was captured on Friday after investigators followed a tip to a residence. When officers arrived, Joseph ran to a nearby storage shed but surrendered after he was cornered. He had been jailed on several charges, including principal to first-degree rape and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The third escapee, 26-year-old Joseph Allen Harrington of Melville, died by suicide the day before Joseph’s arrest. According to Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux, officers tracked Harrington to a home after a citizen reported seeing him pushing a black electric bicycle. Police used a loudspeaker to call for him to come out. A single gunshot followed. Harrington was found dead inside the house from a self-inflicted wound from a hunting rifle. He had faced multiple felony counts, including home invasion.
In a written statement, Guidroz said an internal investigation is underway and that jail supervisors have been ordered to prepare a detailed report on how the escape unfolded and what security measures failed.
The sheriff’s comments have already drawn pushback from parish leadership. Parish President Jessie Bellard publicly disputed claims that the jail walls are crumbling or that locks are badly deteriorated, calling those descriptions inaccurate and challenging the sheriff to produce documentation. The public disagreement underscores long-running tension over funding and responsibility for the aging facility.
