Louisiana Juvenile Prison Guard Helps 3 Inmates Escape, Group Captured In Texas

Coushatta, LA – A 21-year-old juvenile prison guard has been arrested for allegedly helping three juvenile prison inmates escape from the facility where she worked, according to police.

The Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office (RRPSO) said in a press release on Saturday that it received a call from the Ware Youth Center (WYC) detention facility at approximately 6:53 a.m. on May 14 advising that three male juvenile inmates had escaped with the assistance of 21-year-old facility security guard Victoria Tune.

The inmates were identified as 17-year-old TyJuan Lafitte, 17-year-old Jeremiah Durham, and 15-year-old Na’Varaya Lane.

Lafitte was incarcerated at the facility for attempted first-degree murder, while Lane was being held for attempted second-degree murder, according to the RRPSO.

Durham was incarcerated for armed robbery.

According to the sheriff’s office, WYC officials said they realized the inmates and Tune were missing about four hours after the escape.

Security footage allegedly showed Tune driving away from the facility with the three teens in a 2010 Pontiac G6.

Law enforcement officers tracked the security guard and the three inmates down at a motel in Houston, Texas by Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office said in an update.

They kept an eye on the parked Pontiac for several hours until the group exited the motel, then took them all into custody.

Investigators said the vehicle was being driven by one of the suspects’ relatives.

The RRPSO said the apprehension was the result of a joint effort with the sheriff’s office’s investigations division, the Louisiana State Police, the Houston Police Department’s Crime Suppression Team, the Louisiana Fusion Center, and the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“All suspects will be extradited back to Louisiana where they will face additional charges reference the escape,” the RRPSO noted.

Tune faces three counts of accessory to simple escape, WVUE reported.

Tune and the violent juvenile inmates managed to travel approximately 250 miles before they were apprehended.