New Orleans jail escape: Girlfriend of inmate arrested for allegedly aiding in jailbreak

The girlfriend of one of the two remaining inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail last month has been arrested for allegedly helping in his escape, officials said Monday.

Derrick Groves is among 10 inmates who escaped from the Orleans Justice Center on May 16, according to Louisiana State Police. Eight of the inmates have since been captured, but Groves and another inmate -- Antoine Massey -- remain on the run, police said.

Over a dozen people have been arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees, including another inmate in the jail and a jail maintenance worker who is accused of shutting off water to the toilet, allowing escapees to remove it.

Most recently, Darriana Burton, 28, of New Orleans, was arrested on Monday for allegedly helping Groves escape, the Louisiana Attorney General's Office announced.

Burton is a former Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office correctional employee, according to the office, which described her and Groves as having an on-again, off-again relationship for three years.

She allegedly had an "active involvement in the planning phase of the escape," according to the affidavit for her arrest warrant, including relaying "escape-related information" and coordinating communications between Groves and people outside the jail.

Two days before the escape, Groves and Burton had a FaceTime video call via the facility's iPads during which Burton "was observed holding a secondary device in front of the camera" that displayed an unknown man in a separate FaceTime call, according to the affidavit.

"This conversation remained intentionally vague, as Groves, Burton and the unknown male appeared to recognize the call was being recorded," the affidavit stated, noting that it was implied that Burton and the unknown man would have a separate, unmonitored call to allegedly discuss details of the escape."

Shortly after the initial video call, the three were present on another call during which the unknown man "advised against the escape, calling it a 'bad move' and warning that it would trigger a 'manhunt,'" the affidavit stated.

"This exchange confirmed that Burton had already disclosed the escape plan to the outside contact, actively soliciting his involvement," the affidavit stated. "It further demonstrates her direct role in facilitating communication and supporting the coordination of Groves' escape.

Burton has been transported to the Plaquemines Parish Jail and faces a felony charge of conspiracy to commit simple escape, officials said.

"We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals. We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement. "We will arrest all aiders and abettors, and we will eventually get Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves back to prison where they belong."

Burton was employed at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office from August 2022 until her termination in March 2023, the Louisiana Attorney General's Office said. She was arrested and charged for allegedly bringing contraband into the jail and "malfeasance in office," though the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office refused the charges, according to the state attorney general's office.

The reward for the arrest of Groves and Massey increased to $50,000, authorities announced late last month, as police said they believe they are closing in on the "dangerous" fugitives.

Groves was convicted last year of two counts of second-degree murder in a 2018 Mardi Gras Day shooting and faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said. Unrelated to that case, he also subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, online court records show.