The girlfriend of one of the two Orleans Parish Jail escapees who remains on the run is now in custody after federal marshals arrested her on a warrant.
Federal officials say they arrested Darriana Burton on a warrant from the Louisiana Attorney General's Office. She facing a felony conspiracy to commit simple escape charge. Authorities say they arrested Burton in New Orleans.
Burton is the girlfriend of Derrick Groves, a convicted murderer who was awaiting sentencing to life in prison when he escaped from the jail on May 16.
"We have confirmed they were in an on-again, off-again relationship for three years," Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement.
Murrill confirmed that Burton is a former Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office employee who was fired in 2023 when she was caught bringing contraband into the jail. Burton was booked on malfeasance in office and contraband charges, which Murrill says the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office refused.
In a statement, New Orleans D.A. Jason Williams said that case was reviewed by a senior screening attorney, and based on the evidence and Burton's lack of prior criminal history, she was offered a pretrial diversion program, which she successfully completed.
Meanwhile, Groves and Antoine Massey remain on the run. The reward for tips leading to their arrests stands at $50,000 per escapee. Call Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111 if you have any information about their whereabouts.
“We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals," Murrill said in the statement. "We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law.
"We will arrest all aiders and abettors," she continues. "And we will eventually get Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves back to prison where they belong,”
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