The incident comes as state authorities are still searching for members of a 10-inmate escape from a New Orleans jail and amid scrutiny of jailing protocols.

The 10 inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail in a stunning overnight escape last week used electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

Three Orleans Parish jail inmates staged an unsuccessful escape attempt through the ceiling of pod 1D roughly two weeks before the 10-person jailbreak via its toilet on May 16, court

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson sent a campaign email praising security improvements just days before 10 inmates escaped from the Louisiana jail.

One inmate was behind bars for murdering two men. Another was charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation. A third was accused of attacking a corrections officer.

A week after 10 inmates at a New Orleans jail escaped through a hole in a wall behind a toilet, half of them are still on the run and at least four people have been charged with helping them.

The audacious feat, one of the biggest jailbreaks in Louisiana history, exploited safety issues in the jail that had previously been cited by federal authorities.

As five fugitives remain at large a third woman is arrested, new surveillance emerges, and pressure builds on local and state leaders to fix deep-rooted jail failure