IBERIA PARISH, La. ( KLFY )– A manhunt for 39-year-old Kristian Broussard , an escaped Iberia Parish Jail inmate, resulted in him being captured hours later.

Assisting the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office were multiple law enforcement agencies, plus a flight school.

Deputies and officers with Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Allen Correctional Center, Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, Vermillion Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Iberia Police Department and Louisiana State Police assisted in the capture of Broussard, who escaped from the Iberia Parish Jail on Wednesday.

The Aviation Academy of Louisiana assisted in the capture as well. News 10 took an exclusive ride with the academy to learn how aviation is used to assist law enforcement.

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Craig Simon, the manager and certified flight instructor at Aviation Academy of Louisiana, said assisting the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office in the capture was a natural response.

Simon said aviation offers officers a different vantage point.

“If someone got in the sugarcanes, it maybe difficult to see, but we have a different perspective than someone on the ground,” Simon said. “The ability to put three people in the aircraft and actually give them that bird’s eye point of view really helps with their scene coordination and gives them an idea how they’re going to handle their organization.”

The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office says the manhunt lasted five hours in a social media post.

“They would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the Aviation Academy of Louisiana for their invaluable assistance in the search for the escaped inmate,” the post read.

Simon said having aviation as a resource for law enforcement can be even more beneficial going forward.

“It’s hard to put a value on exactly how many people a helicopter can assist,” he said. “But with communication, with radios and technology today, there’s no reason that helicopters shouldn’t be a part of more law enforcement communities.”

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