Curtis Tassin’s mother arrested, accused of assisting juvenile’s escape from custody
NEW ORLEANS (KNOE/WVUE) - The mother of juvenile offender Curtis Tassin has been arrested, accused of assisting the teen in his June 1 escape from Office of Juvenile Justice custody.
Meanwhile, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a press conference Wednesday (June 7) that the New Orleans Police Department “wasn’t notified” immediately after Tassin’s third escape from juvenile custody in the past two years, which she deemed “unacceptable.”
Louisiana State Police say 32-year-old Kenione Rogers arranged transportation for her son following Tassin’s escape from the New Orleans Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.
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Rogers was arrested Tuesday, booked into the Orleans Justice Center jail on single counts of principal to simple escape, accessory to simple escape and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile involved in the commission of a crime of violence. Rogers is expected to make her first appearance in magistrate court on Wednesday to have bond set.
“What she did is a crime,” Fox 8 Legal Analyst Joe Raspanti said. “She facilitated his escape and she lied to authorities about it, further facilitating his escape.”
Tassin escaped after being transported for a scheduled hearing in juvenile court. An arrest warrant says “Tassin had removed his leg shackles but was still wearing his handcuffs when he jumped out and ran” after OJJ personnel opened the doors of the transport vehicle.
Authorities say Tassin has escaped three times from juvenile facilities, and previously was involved in an armed robbery and a stolen truck incident that ended in a crash.
“This gentleman has a bad track record as an escape artist,” said. Sen. Patrick Connick, who represents the district including the Bridge City Center for Youth.
Residents in the neighborhood near the JJIC said they had no notification he was on the loose. Cantrell said Wednesday that not even the NOPD was immediately alerted of the escape by the Office of Juvenile Justice.
“It’s important that we respond in a way that keeps our city safe,” Cantrell said. “We weren’t notified. My police department wasn’t notified. That’s unacceptable. Hopefully, we’ll start to see things happen in a more direct manner, as far as accountability. Unacceptable.”
In Rogers’ arrest warrant, officials say the juvenile’s mother dropped him off at a home in Algiers, where a neighbor said she saw him and tipped off authorities as to his whereabouts.
“I told them his mother dropped him off early that morning when he broke out of jail,” the neighbor told Fox 8.
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