Escaped inmate’s girlfriend arrested by U.S. Marshals
By Jasmine Franklin
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NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — “They are not going to give up, law enforcement is on it,” said Melaine Talia.
28-year-old Darriana Burton is behind bars after allegedly assisting her boyfriend and convicted murderer, Derrick Groves, in his escape.
She is facing felony charges for conspiracy to commit simple escape.
“I don’t think surprising that someone would help an individual that has that violent history, and is known for using violence to get what he wants,” said Talia.
Talia with the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation says the couple communicated online.
“As I understand, just two days prior to the escape, Groves and his girlfriend had communication via the tablet that was issued through the Orleans Justice Center,” said Talia.
Smartcom was introduced to the Orleans Parish Justice Center in February.
Online documents released by the Orleans Parish sheriff tout the programs’ success, saying the tablets help give inmates free 15-minute phone calls a day and 20-minute video calls a week. This is all in an effort to reduce overall jail violence, improve quality of life, and reduce tension among the inmates.
Burton worked at OPSO from August 2022 to March 2023. She was fired for allegedly bringing contraband into the jail.
Her charges were refused by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office due to Burton completing a diversion program.
The district attorney issued the following statement regarding the charges being dismissed:
“The charges against Ms. Burton were thoroughly reviewed by a senior screening attorney, who considered all available evidence at that time, the specific conduct alleged, and Ms. Burton’s lack of criminal history. Ms. Burton was ultimately offered, and successfully completed, a pretrial diversion program.
“The contraband in question was not actually introduced into the secure area of the facility. According to the incident report, Ms. Burton left the contraband inside a bag at the facility entrance and did not follow through with delivery. These facts, coupled with her cooperation and lack of prior criminal activity, were key considerations in the decision not to pursue formal prosecution.
“We were only referred this case involving Ms. Burton and are not aware of any other criminal conduct or disciplinary action taken by OPSO against her for similar behavior.
“As with all cases, our office’s priority is to evaluate whether we can meet our legal burden of proof at trial, along with other relevant factors.
“The present matters remain under active review by the appropriate agencies. Any and all persons found to be complicit in the escape or in aiding escapees will be fully prosecuted and held accountable for their actions.”
Despite the new developments, the U.S. Marshals Office says it is not giving up on their search.
“Our investigation continues, and they could be anywhere. They could be in New Orleans or they could be out of the New Orleans area,” said Brian Fair with the U.S. Marshals 0ffice.
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