AMITE — Four people are on administrative leave and another inmate faces new charges after an inmate who has a history of breakouts escaped from the parish jail Thursday night, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker said.

Tra'Von Johnson, 22, was booked and awaiting trial for his alleged role in a 2022 Hammond home invasion. Johnson is also one of four inmates who escaped from the facility in May of 2024.

Just before 10 p.m. Thursday night, TPSO received an anonymous call to see whether or not Johnson was still in custody. An immediate headcount of the jail's population alerted the staff of Johnson's escape, as well as a full lockdown of the facility. Johnson was not among the inmates counted, officials said.

At a news conference on Friday, Sticker said that around 4:15 a.m., a jail dormitory was flooded and the back door of the dorm that led to the yard was opened as jail employees and trustees cleaned up the flooding. The door was open for about a minute before it was closed, but in that time, Johnson and another inmate, Trevon Wallace, left the dorm at 4:28 p.m., Sticker said. 

Johnson was helped over the fence by Wallace, who was later returned to the jail, Sticker said. Wallace is being charged with simple escape and principal to simple escape after the incident, Sticker added.

Sticker said that Johnson's escape was not discovered because a proper headcount was not done after the escape, adding that it was not until the review of surveillance footage that it was determined that count protocols were not followed.

WATCH THE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE HERE: 

Sticker said that four jail employees are being placed on administrative leave because of the escape, but did not go into further detail. 

"I own this," he said, noting that the sheriff's office is working to improve security at the jail to prevent breakouts from happening. 

He said that the parish has $250,000 in grant money that is going to be used for a full body scanner and that they are "exhausting every option to get tools into the jail." 

"All that technology costs money. So we're back to a big cheap pad with a No. 2 pencil for counts," Sticker said. 

He also said that his team is actively working through tips to find Johnson.

"We will find you," Sticker said to Johnson. "My best advice is to turn yourself in." 

DEPUTIES ALSO PROVIDED A DETAILED TIMELINE OF THE ESCAPE:

Johnson is described as a black male with brown eyes, 5'5, and weighing around 120 lbs. Johnson is from the Tickfaw area and has ties to the Hammond-Pumpkin Center area.

If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Tra'Von Johnson, you are urged to contact TPSO by calling 985-345-6150. You can also contact Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa's tip line at 1-800-554-5245. You could be eligible for a reward if your tip leads to Johnson's capture.

STICKER'S NEWS CONFERENCE CAN BE WATCHED IN FULL HERE: