U.S. Marshals and deputies from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office ended their hunt for escaped 49-year-old New Orleans jail inmate Clement Leach Jr. on Tuesday when they found him eating lunch at Sammy's Food Service & Deli, according to NOLA.com. Authorities received a tip of Leach's whereabouts that same day, and knew the address of the food spot because restaurant co-owner Sammy Schloegel said the U.S. Marshals dine there two to three times a month, and get a 10 percent discount.
Kayla Filostrat, a cashier at Sammy's, told WWL-TV, initially assumed that when about 15 officers arrived, they were coming in to eat. "I thought they were all coming in to eat," she said. "I was ready to take their orders. I chugged my coffee. I was ready to go." Schloegel doesn't think anyone on his staff was responsible for providing the tip.
Leach managed to flee from custody on February 24 as he was being transported from the Orleans Parish Temporary Detention Center to a job in the jail's kitchen. He had dodged authorities for more than a week, even as they were asking locals for help finding him. He was awaiting trial, at the time of his escape, on multiple burglary counts.
Prior to his arrest in Louisiana, Leach was on parole, and required to register as a sex offender, which stems from a conviction in California for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. While no one can recall what Leach was eating when he got busted, he was hanging out at Sammy's with a group of people.
