Inmate in June escape sentenced

FRANKLIN — An inmate involved in one of two St. Mary Parish jail escapes that became issues in the sheriff’s race in November will serve three years in prison after his sentencing earlier this month.
Sixteenth Judicial District Judge Suzanne DeMahy sentenced Jeremy Anthony Perez, 25, of New Iberia to a year at hard labor on a charge of aggravated battery from a police office and two years on a count of simple escape. DeMahy ordered Perez to serve the terms consecutively.
In May, Perez was arrested in St. Mary Parish on the flight charge plus driving without a license, careless operation, and possession of synthetic cannabinoids and drug paraphernalia.
On June 15, Perez escaped from St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center and was later arrested in Crowley before being returned to St. Mary Parish, where he faced the additional simple escape charge.
Under a plea deal, all charges from the May inci-dent except aggravated flight were dropped. Perez pleaded guilty to aggravated flight and simple escape. He was sentenced Jan. 2.
Assistant District Attorney Brady Holtzclaw prosecuted the case. Michael Caffery was the defense attorney.
Perez’ escape happened 12 days after four men escaped from the same jail in Centerville.
All four were quickly recaptured. Two of those men, Williams Deans and Tanner Scarbrough, have already received three-year prison sentences. Charges are pending against the other two.
The two June escapes led to firings at the sheriff’s office and the reassignment of the jail’s warden. The personnel moves became an issue in interim Sheriff Scott Anslum’s re-election campaign when opponents pointed to them as a cause of poor morale in the office.
Anslum lost the Dec. 8 runoff to Blaise Smith.