Derrick Groves – Man behind one of the largest jailbreaks in U.S arrested. What do we know?

Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair confirmed that Derrick Groves was taken into custody at a home after evading authorities for nearly five months. Sergeant. Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Kate Stegall also said Groves was taken into custody after a short break. The only Louisiana inmate who remained at large after a daring prison break in May in which 10 men crawled through a hole behind a toilet has been found in Atlanta, the U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday.

Who is Derrick Groves?

Groves, 28, was convicted of murder before escaping from prison and was facing a possible life sentence. He had the most violent criminal record of any fugitive, and authorities had offered a $50,000 reward for tips leading to his recapture.
“He was hiding in a crawl space,” Fair said. “Apparently he was the only person in this house and was pretty well hidden.”

No one else was arrested, Fair said. Groves was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service’s southeast regional fugitive task force and the Atlanta Police Department SWAT team, Fair said.

The other nine fugitives were recaptured within six weeks of escaping from a New Orleans prison on May 16, with most still in Louisiana.
Groves and nine other men pulled open a malfunctioning cell door at a New Orleans prison, squeezed through a hole behind the toilet, climbed barbed wire and escaped into the darkness. This incident, involving 10 fugitives, was one of the largest escapes in recent US history.
The prisoners’ absence was not noticed until the morning census, hours after they escaped to freedom. At the scene of the crime, the men left a message in the cell where they had removed the toilet to sneak through a hole. They drew an arrow on the cell wall pointing to the space through which they passed; Above that was a message written in graffiti: “Easy to LoL.”
City and state officials have noted numerous security lapses at the prison, including ineffective cell locks and allegations that inmates were let out when the only guard watching them went to get food. However, authorities are adamant that these men may have also received help and that the escape may have been made from within.

A prison maintenance worker has been arrested for allegedly helping imprisoned men escape by turning off the water in a toilet that had a hole drilled in the back so the fugitives could sneak out. The man denied knowingly helping them, through his lawyer, who said he unblocked the toilet. Another former prison employee, identified by authorities as Groves’ girlfriend, is also accused of helping coordinate the escape.

All 10 men are charged with simple escape on top of previous criminal counts that initially landed them in prison, according to Murrill’s office. The escape charge carries a prison sentence of two to five years.

Groves’ attorney was present at the hearing but did not enter a defense on his behalf, The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune reported.