The inmates had scrawled a few messages into the wall above the hole, including “To Easy LoL”, a smiley face with its tongue sticking out, and another that appeared to tell officers to catch them if they can.
The inmates’ escape was made easier by a “perfect storm” of staffing issues and building design flaws, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson told CBS News in August.
Three were found within 24 hours of their escape and several others were captured in the following weeks.
Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair, of the Eastern District of Louisiana, told CBS News that a tip led investigators to track Groves to the Atlanta area.
When police first approached the home, it appeared that there was no one there, he said.
“We did have concerns maybe he wasn’t in the house,” Fair told CBS. “But ultimately, they found him hiding in a crawl space. I believe that crawl space was in the basement … and he had put some thought and work into the hiding space he was in.”
