A Northshore inmate attempted a movie-style jailbreak. His attempt was short-lived.
James Lorio, 50, was just 12 days into his stay at the Washington Parish Jail when he hatched his plan: stack an ice chest on a bunk, climb into the ceiling, and disappear.
“There’s no real exit besides going through the door,” said Washington Parish Sheriff Deputy Chief Kyle Vanardo.
Turns out, the duct Lorio squirmed into wasn’t connected to freedom — it ended in an air conditioning unit, complete with a fan and zero escape route. Realizing his plan was ruined, Lorio returned to his mattress and tried to play it cool. But other inmates in a nearby block heard the commotion and alerted the guards.
“They brought it to attention like, ‘Hey, we hear something. Not sure what it is, but there’s stuff going on in the vent,’” Chief Vanardo said.
That tip led jailers right back to Lorio, who was back in his cell, on the floor with a blanket, as if nothing had happened.
“He didn’t get very far and realized he bit off more than he could chew,” Vanardo said.
Though the incident lasted only four minutes before guards showed up at Lorio’s cell to make the arrest, it prompted renewed questions about complicity among inmates.
According to jail officials, at least a few helped stage the escape despite not attempting to flee themselves.
WDSU asked the deputy chief, “Why do you think inmates already in jail are OK with helping someone else escape, even if they don’t get out?” Vanardo replied, “That’s the question we ask every day. It doesn’t make sense.”
Thanks to new staffing and upgraded monitoring systems, jailers were able to act quickly and prevent a bad idea from becoming a major incident.
“Since July 1, we’ve already doubled our staff here,” Vanardo added.
Lorio, who was already being held on a $125,000 bond for resisting arrest and assaulting a correctional officer, now faces additional charges for simple escape.
READ MORE:Washington Parish inmate tries to break out of jail through an air duct