A teacher from New Orleans, Angela Filardo, has been accused of helping a juvenile fugitive named Lynell Reynolds escape to Texas. Filardo appeared in court and was ordered to wear an ankle monitor while awaiting the resolution of her felony case, according to WVUE. She has been charged with being an accessory to an escape. Filardo is Reynold’s former teacher and has supported Reynolds by appearing in juvenile court during his 2019 trial.

Reynolds, who was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder in 2019, escaped from an unsecured group home in Lake Charles on September 13. Reynolds was previously located in a secure facility before being transferred to the group home. The now 18-year-old was recaptured by US Marshals in San Antonio. Filardo’s arrest warrant disclosed that investigators tracked Reynolds’ location as he traveled from New Orleans to Houston. They also found 97 contacts between Reynolds and Filardo’s phones following his escape.  Filardo’s arrest warrant says it was her vehicle that the teen utilized to get to Texas. According to reports, Filardo was Reynold’s former teacher who became a confidante due to previous trauma he’s experienced. 

State prosecutors requested a bond of $500,000 for Filardo, stating that she posed a flight risk. However, her attorney argued against the higher bond, pointing out her position as a teacher and her education. Filardo had previously emailed a news outlet, accusing them of causing harm to Reynolds by covering his trial outcome.

The case has drawn attention from the victim’s family, who expressed disappointment in Reynolds being transferred to an unsecured facility.

The victim’s grandmother, Dorothy White, spoke out against the judge who approved Reynolds’ transfer despite their family’s reservations. 

“Judge Anderson, I hope you’re watching. I hope you’ve been watching this all along. Because we could have stopped — and you surely could have stopped — all this pain that you’ve put Darrelle in, me in, our entire family in, Judge,”

said White.