Another accomplice arrested in New Orleans jailbreak

(The Center Square) − A former Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office employee and girlfriend of escapee Derrick Groves has been arrested for allegedly helping orchestrate a high-profile jailbreak, Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office announced on Monday.Darriana Burton, 28, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on June 9 at her residence in the 2600 block of St. Peter Street in New Orleans. The arrest was made in coordination with agents from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, part of the Attorney General’s office.Burton is facing a felony charge of conspiracy to commit simple escape. Investigators believe she played a key role in aiding Groves — her on-again, off-again boyfriend of three years — and possibly others in escaping from the Orleans Parish Correctional Center.On May 27, LBI agents obtained a warrant for Burton’s arrest following an ongoing investigation into the May 16 escape of 10 inmates from the jail. The prisoners fled through a hole behind a toilet inside the facility. Groves and fellow escapee Antoine Massey remain at large.Burton worked at the Sheriff’s Office from August 2022 until March 2023, when she was fired after being arrested for allegedly bringing contraband into the jail and committing malfeasance in office. Those charges were later refused by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office in October 2024.New evidence, outlined in a court affidavit, links Burton to Groves in the days leading up to the escape. On May 14, Groves initiated a FaceTime video call to Burton from inside the jail. During the call, she was seen holding a second phone, which displayed another unidentified man.Investigators say the trio kept the conversation vague — appearing to be aware the call was recorded — but implied that an unmonitored follow-up call would be made to finalize escape plans, including transportation and timing.Murrill said her office remains committed to tracking down anyone who assisted in the escape.”We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals,” Murrill said in a statement. “We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law. I’d like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service for executing our warrant for this woman. We will arrest all aiders and abettors, and we will eventually get Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves back to prison where they belong.”Burton has been booked into the Plaquemines Parish Jail. The case remains under investigation by a joint task force of state and local law enforcement agencies.