An arrest warrant for the Orleans Parish sheriff, who was recently indicted, outlines concerns dating back years from federal monitors.
Sheriff Susan Hutson was charged in a 30-count indictment earlier this week.
Hutson is facing malfeasance in office, conspiracy to commit malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records, conspiracy to commit filing or maintaining false public records, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
According to the arrest warrant, Hutson’s charges stem from an investigation that launched following the escape of 10 inmates last year.
The documents specifically cite conditions at the jail as the reason behind the escape.
The arrest warrant alleges that Hutson was warned for years about inadequate staffing and conditions at the jail, calling the escape “not an unforeseeable event.”
Throughout Hutson’s term, which began in May 2022, federal monitors would conduct regular inspections of the jail and report them to the federal court.
According to the arrest warrant, systemic issues were reported to Hutson and those exact vulnerabilities led to the inmates being undetected for hours after the jailbreak.
The arrest warrant alleges that multiple pods were being monitored by one staff member, despite the requirement of one deputy per unit for supervision.
Federal monitors reported that managers were seldom present at the jail after 4 p.m. or on weekends.
The arrest warrant also accuses Hutson of not reassigning employees to help cover the supervision issues at the jail.
Staff at the jail are also accused of failing to follow OPSO policy, specifically by reporting inaccurate or falsified documentation regarding staffing rosters and inmate security checks.
The federal monitors also reported issues with violence at the jail, citing specifically that inmates would wait until staff members left for meal breaks to engage in fights. The arrest warrant alleges that if policy and security checks were followed, inmates would have had limited access to the tools used in these violent instances.
Hutson has previously stated that the inmates who escaped the jail waited until a worker’s meal break before breaking out.
According to the arrest warrant, Hutson repeatedly blamed inadequate funding for the challenges at the jail; however, the arrest warrant claims Hutson’s fund balance in 2024 was $14,095,118, and the cash on hand in April 2025 was $23,534,804.
Because Hutson was “the keeper of the jail,” the arrest warrant cites negligence as the reason for her charges.
The arrest warrant states:
“Hutson’s failure to enforce security procedures, ensure proper supervision and accountability, and effectively respond to federal warnings, created conditions that transformed the OJC’s internal failure into a public safety crisis.”
Hutson will be arraigned May 15 at 9 a.m.
READ MORE:Inadequate staffing, negligence outlined as reasons behind Sheriff Susan Hutson’s charges
