Orleans Parish sheriff and jail CFO indicted in investigation tied to 2025 inmate escape

Wednesday, April 29, 2026Rights & JusticeWell-covered3 frames

A special grand jury indicted Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson in connection with an investigation stemming from the May 2025 escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Justice Center.
Hutson was indicted on 30 felony counts, and Bianka Brown, the sheriff’s office chief financial officer, was indicted on 20 felony counts.
The charges reported against Hutson include malfeasance in office, obstruction of justice, and filing or maintaining false public records, along with conspiracy counts tied to those allegations.
The indictments followed an investigation opened by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office after the jailbreak.
State officials have said Hutson is not accused of personally helping inmates escape; the attorney general’s office instead alleges her failure to meet legal and operational duties contributed to conditions that enabled the escape.
All 10 inmates who escaped were later recaptured, making the indictment part of the continuing legal fallout from the jailbreak rather than the search for the escapees themselves.
The indictment comes as Hutson’s term is ending within days, adding legal uncertainty around the close of her tenure and the transition in leadership at the sheriff’s office.
Reporting says the indictment does not publicly detail all of the alleged underlying conduct, and the attorney general’s office has said the investigation is ongoing.

A special grand jury indicted Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson in connection with an investigation stemming from the May 2025 escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Justice Center.
Hutson was indicted on 30 felony counts, and Bianka Brown, the sheriff’s office chief financial officer, was indicted on 20 felony counts.
The charges reported against Hutson include malfeasance in office, obstruction of justice, and filing or maintaining false public records, along with conspiracy counts tied to those allegations.
The indictments followed an investigation opened by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office after the jailbreak.
State officials have said Hutson is not accused of personally helping inmates escape; the attorney general’s office instead alleges her failure to meet legal and operational duties contributed to conditions that enabled the escape.
All 10 inmates who escaped were later recaptured, making the indictment part of the continuing legal fallout from the jailbreak rather than the search for the escapees themselves.
The indictment comes as Hutson’s term is ending within days, adding legal uncertainty around the close of her tenure and the transition in leadership at the sheriff’s office.
Reporting says the indictment does not publicly detail all of the alleged underlying conduct, and the attorney general’s office has said the investigation is ongoing.