Update on Inmate Escape from Amite Jail

As teams of deputies and law enforcement partners continue the search for escaped inmate 22 year-old
Tra’Von Johnson (pictured left) of Tickfaw, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) is detailing the timeline of events that led to his escape on Thursday (May 22, 2025) as well as announcing an additional inmate arrest and employee consequences.

Click here for Sheriff Sticker's news conference on Johnson jail escape

Johnson is wanted for one count of Simple Escape. He was awaiting trial for his alleged role in a 2022 Hammond-area home invasion that killed a man and injured the victim’s child. Johnson is also one of the four inmates who escaped from the facility a year ago this month.

Trevon Wallace (pictured right), age 28, has been rebooked now on charges of Simple Escape and Principle to Simple Escape. Wallace has been in the Tangipahoa Parish Jail since February 2024 awaiting trial for Aggravated Assault with a Firearm, Theft, Simple Battery and Resisting an Officer.

Just before 10 p.m. on the 22nd, TPSO received a call from the public questioning whether Johnson was still in custody. Following an immediate headcount of the jail population and a review of Johnson’s movements throughout the day, it was determined Johnson escaped around 4:30 p.m. when another inmate helped lift him over the perimeter fence.

The investigation into this incident determined that around 4:15 p.m., an inmate flooded the dorm Johnson and Wallace were in. During the clean-up, while several sections of exterior doors were open to push water out, an interior door was inadvertently opened less than a minute before the error was realized and it was closed again. In those few seconds, Johnson and Wallace ran out of all of the doors to the yard. Johnson, with Wallace’s assistance, climbed over the perimeter wall. However, Wallace ended up running back toward the building where he was met by deputies who took him back to his cell.

The deputies involved in this vulnerable moment did not report it to their superiors, did not seek to bring appropriate charges against Wallace and did not conduct a confirmation headcount to ensure he was the only one gone. In addition, at this time, TPSO is only able to staff one individual tasked with monitoring 60 cameras all at once while also opening doors as requested by deputies in and around the pods and dorms.

Later, when a scheduled headcount occurred, the responsible deputies failed to follow the three-step process of that headcount allowing them to again miss that Johnson was missing.

At this time, it is not believed this was a planned escape, but rather, an opportunistic one that was compounded by a failure of jail staff to follow protocols put in place as preventative measures for escapes. However, the current investigation into this incident does include looking into the person who called the jail and the inmate who caused the flooding to begin with.

A handful of deputies are on administrative leave during this investigation.

TPSO remains engaged with its partner law enforcement agencies to locate Johnson. He is described as a black male with brown eyes, standing 5’5” and weighing around 120 lbs. He is from the Tickfaw area and has ties to the Hammond-Pumpkin Center area. The team, which has reached between 30 and 40 people and has included K-9 teams and drone operators, has received many helpful tips and we want to extend our appreciation to the public for their support.

If anyone sees Tra’Von Johnson, or has information about his location, or those who may be assisting him, contact TPSO by calling 911 if inside of the parish; if outside of the parish, please contact our dispatch center at 985-345-6150.

You may also contact Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa’s tip line at 1-800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com and click on the P3 Tips icon or Submit A Tip! Information can be shared anonymously and you could be eligible for a reward if your tip leads to Johnson’s capture.