AMITE, La. — A work-release inmate who escaped custody in September was recaptured this week in Mississippi and now faces an additional felony charge, authorities said.
Christopher Delcambre, 51, was taken into custody Monday by the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force after investigators tracked him to the Jackson area. Delcambre has been charged with aggravated escape and will be returned to Louisiana, officials said.
Delcambre had been incarcerated in connection with a drug case and a felony theft case out of Hammond when he walked away from a work assignment on Sept. 27. Authorities said Delcambre left his job at the Florida Parishes Arena while participating in a Department of Corrections work-release program that allows select inmates to work outside the jail.
Following the escape, deputies with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Louisiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division to locate Delcambre. Investigators pursued leads both locally and in out-of-state locations where Delcambre was known to have ties.
New information received within the past week led task force members to Mississippi, where Delcambre was eventually found at a homeless encampment and arrested without incident, authorities said.
Delcambre is expected to be transported back to the Tangipahoa Parish Jail for booking before being transferred to another facility.
In response to the escape, the sheriff’s office said it has re-evaluated eligibility standards for its work-release program, revised its list of participants and is exploring additional security and tracking measures for inmates in the program.
