AMITE – A work release inmate is back on the run after disappearing from his job at the Florida Parishes Arena in Amite on Saturday afternoon.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker says deputies sprang into action after 51-year-old Christopher Delcambre vanished while helping move pallets at the arena. Surveillance photos captured Delcambre walking along the back of the property and heading north along the fence line.

Delcambre is serving time for drug charges and felony theft out of Hammond. 

In November, he evaded capture after a vehicle pursuit, prompting multiple agencies, including state police and the sheriff’s office, to search for him in the woods for several days.

Sheriff Sticker says the inmate had recently taken a plea deal and had not caused disciplinary issues, qualifying him for the work release program.

“It gives these men an opportunity to get out and at least make advancements toward becoming a productive member of society,” Sticker said. “Nine out of ten times, it works.”

But now, Delcambre's escape means those privileges are over.

“When they violate that trust, as in this case with Mr. Delcambre, once he is apprehended again, he will be put back in custody, his status revoked, and more than likely, moved to another facility,” Sticker said.

Sticker also emphasized the strain on his department. 

“I’ve been jumping up and down screaming for the last year that the sheriff’s office is underfunded and undermanned. We’ve asked the citizens for help on the ballot to pump more funds into the office so we can be proactive, and they told us no,” he said.

Anyone with information about Delcambre’s whereabouts is urged to call the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers.