IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — Wednesday evening, just before 5:30 p.m., an inmate from the Iberia Parish Jail escaped after scaling a wall in the recreation yard. Hours later, just before midnight, he was apprehended by the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office (IPSO) and placed back into custody.
"The quick response of the correctional center allowed our patrol division to respond rapidly to the area," said Sheriff Tommy Romero. "We were able to set up a perimeter, within ten minutes, where we knew he should be located in."
IPSO, Allen Correctional Center, Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, Vermillion Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Iberia Police Department, and Louisiana State Police all assisted with the capture.
A canine tracker for the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, named Tike the beagle, also assisted in the inmate's official capture. According to IPSO, this was not Tike's first apprehension either.
According to Sheriff Romero, "issues within the rec. yard" allowed the inmate, Kristian Broussard, to escape.
"He took a running start, jumped up onto a picnic bench—which is bolted to the concrete area—jumped up onto the awning (which covers the doorway), and scaled the wall a couple of feet. He was able to shimmy down one of the pipes outside of the fenced-in area, and made his escape."
The sheriff said the awning has since been removed from the yard.
Sheriff Romero said during a conversation with Broussard, the inmate "gave him the impression" that he was trying to escape so he could go and see his child.
Now, Broussard faces Aggravated Escape charges, in addition to a pending indictment for second-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm. Broussard is accused in connection with the January 2019 shooting death of Richard Southern. At the time, police told us the men were arguing when Broussard shot Southern. Court records show his trial set for October.
