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LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office said deputies are still searching for a 22-year-old female inmate who escaped while being treated at Ochsner Lafayette General.
Dervanisha Carter was in jail on charges of illegal discharge of a weapon.
Information concerning her hospital visit cannot be disclosed, however at the time of her escape, authorities did not believe that she was a danger to herself or the public.
She has tattoos near her neck and was last seen in an orange jumpsuit wearing forward facing handcuffs.
“She was obviously in custody of the Lafayette Correctional Center at the time so she would have been escorted, as far as the finer details of the escape that’s still under investigation,” Sheriff Office Spokesperson Valerie Ponseti said.
News Ten obtained surveillance video of Carter’s escape.
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It shows her running out of the hospital doors with a corrections staffer giving chase.
“Whether it be a personal address she may be in the area, it’s possible there are family members, friends, acquaintances and places that she may have been known to frequent that she may have ties to or she may have gone to take refuge, Ponseti said.
“I know that I speak for myself and many people. I know that being in jail is probably not an ideal place that any of us want to go, but that’s why we have laws in place, and we all need to follow them as citizens here in Lafayette Parish.”
She said the sheriff’s office has policies and procedures in place as it relates to custody and escorts with inmates.
“We will continue to look at the video to see how we can improve and what happened and how she was able to slip out.”
Anyone with information on Carter’s whereabouts is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s office who also advises that aiding and abetting a fugitive is a crime that carries jail time and a fine.
