Two inmates from Washington Parish Jail made a near-successful bid for freedom yesterday, only to be apprehended later that evening. The two young men, Corey Lee Ard and Kaid Montana Elliott, both 21 years old, found brief respite from incarceration before their recapture by authorities.
According to a report by WWLTV, the escape involved a breach of procedure. Sheriff Jason Smith admitted, "Well, the short answer is just a failure on our part to follow policies and procedures." A simple miscount and laxity in verifying inmates as they returned to their cellblock from yard time provided the window for Ard and Elliott's attempt at freedom. Both were quickly located, with Ard discovered at Highway 25 and Highway 16 at approximately 9:30 p.m. and Elliott found behind the Cargill Animal Nutrition Plant in Franklinton about an hour later.
The jailbreak occurred just after 4 p.m., with the inmates having hid behind a structure and scaled two separate fences adorned with barbed wire, as per FOX8 Live. The delay in detecting their absence extended the gap to 30 minutes, catalyzed by a public inquiry into an unrelated inmate's bond status. Such a delay seemingly speaks to a broader narrative of systemic oversight issues within the facility. Ard, from Franklinton, whose charges included unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana, was captured at an intersection close to where he is known to have ties.
Elliott's return to custody came as a culmination of efforts behind the Cargill plant in Franklinton. As described by WDSU, Elliott, hailing from Bogalusa, was awaiting trial on charges that span unauthorized entry, theft, aggravated burglary, and sexual battery misdemeanor. The circumstances of their initial capture after escape, seemingly separate yet not entirely disconnected, are reminiscent of a law enforcement body rallying quickly to a breach in their command.
