Deputy fired, another resigns after prisoner escapes from jail

Prisoner stowed away in box, was pushed into parking lot

One St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy lost his job and another resigned after a prisoner escaped from the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona in July.

Sheriff Greg Champagne announced Friday that an investigation into the matter was complete. The deputy who resigned did so while he was under investigation and the other deputy was terminated for violation of department policies and procedures. Champagne did not release the names of either deputy because the situation involved personnel matters and security procedures.

Charles Conrad III escaped from the prison by stowing away in a box and having another inmate push him in a cart out a side door into an unsecured parking lot. When jail personnel realized Conrad was missing two hours later, they went back and found camera footage of the prisoner running across the parking lot and scaling a fence.

Champagne said inmates are never allowed in that parking lot area and he launched an internal investigation after the escape to find out what went wrong. That investigation led to the termination and resignation of the deputies.

The escape also resulted in immediate structural changes to the prison including the addition of razor wire to the fence Conrad climbed over.

After escaping the prison, Conrad was allegedly picked up by his wife, Erica Williams. Williams was later arrested at her Kenner home and charged with principal to simple escape and obstruction of justice.

Conrad was tracked to a motel in Kenner and was arrested about 10 hours after making his escape.

Conrad’s was the third escape from the prison since it opened in June 2001. In all, five prisoners have escaped from the prison, but all were quickly captured.

 

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