NEW ORLEANS — U.S. marshals are looking for a prisoner who escaped near Tulane Avenue and South Telemachus Street Tuesday morning, while the New Orleans Police Department and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office ended their involvement in the search.
Although very little information has been released about the escapee — he was identified late Tuesday afternoon as Lorenzo Conner — authorities confirmed the prisoner escaped while the he was in transport by breaking out the back window of the transport van.
Conner was being transported from East Feliciana Parish to Orleans Parish Prison when he escaped.
“Mr. Conner was being treated under court order competency restoration,” said a statement from Department of Health and Hospitals. He was under indictment for second-degree murder in the killing of 25-year-old Nelson Smith in Central City in 2011, according to the New Orleans Advocate, but Sept. 2013, a judge found Conner incompetent to stand to trial. He is has a hearing set for May on his mental competency for the murder case.
Officials were searching about a one block radius with K-9 units, looking between houses for a suspect that police say may be wearing an undershirt and slacks and not wearing the prisoner uniform earlier this morning but ended their active search in the area.
When he escaped he was possibly wearing a sweatshirt or a white shirt.
Carolyn Winters, who has lived in the area where police searched for the inmate, said she’s taking extra precaution until he is caught.
“Them doors will be locked,” said Carolyn Winters. “I just called my landlord and asked could he come and put some bars up at my door, because I’m here by myself. My sons, they check up on me and stuff, but still, you never know.”
Law enforcement is encouraging everyone in Mid-City to follow Winters’ lead and take every precaution to stay safe.
