Latest news with #mistakenrelease
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Inmate mistakenly released from same New Orleans jail where 10 others escaped
An inmate was mistakenly released last week from the same New Orleans jail that was the scene of a brazen breakout in May, officials said. Officials at an Orleans Parish correctional facility said they accidentally released 30-year-old Khalil Bryan, who was being held on a warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse, child endangerment and home invasion. He has a criminal history that includes burglary, assault and drug violations. The Orleans Parish sheriff said that Bryan's release was a clerical error because another inmate scheduled for release had a similar last name. "The mistaken release of Khalil Bryan was a serious error, and as sheriff, I take full responsibility," Sheriff Susan Hutson said during a news conference on Friday. "While our systems are designed to catch these discrepancies, human error led to a breakdown in the verification process." CBS affiliate WWL reported that Bryan was released shortly after 1 a.m. Friday. However, the public was not notified until later in the afternoon. It is still unclear when deputies realized their mistake and when the sheriff was notified, the station reported, citing sources. Hutson said an investigation has been launched into Bryan's release. "I want the public to know this should not have happened," she said. "It was a failure of internal processes, and the public has every right to expect better." Bryan was released from the same jail where 10 inmates escaped in May after ripping a toilet from the wall. All but one have been caught. The sheriff called that escape an "inside job," and more than a dozen people have been charged with aiding the escapees. A maintenance worker at the jail was arrested and accused of helping them escape. His lawyer said last week that he is being used as a scapegoat.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Troubled New Orleans jail apologizes after releasing detainee by mistake
The jail in New Orleans from which 10 inmates escaped in May mistakenly released another detained man on Friday, according to authorities. Khalil Bryan, 30, was being held on a $100,000 bench warrant related to a failure to appear for arraignment on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse child endangerment and home invasion, officials said. He was also being held on other charges as well as a warrant from a neighboring jurisdiction. Nonetheless, while processing a bond posted for another inmate by an unrelated person, deputies for the sheriff's office operating the jail failed to properly verify the inmate's identity and mistakenly released Bryan instead, said the office of the local district attorney, Jason Williams. Williams's office said in a statement that Bryan's erroneous release underscored 'the ongoing systemic issues surround the exercise of custody and control over detained individuals'. 'The failure to properly confirm the identity of an inmate prior to release is an unacceptable lapse that presents a real and immediate risk to public safety,' Williams's office said. A statement from the sheriff in charge of the jail, Susan Hutson, said her office took 'full responsibility for the clerical error that led to the mistaken release of Khalil Bryan'. 'We offer our sincere apology to the public, our law enforcement partners, and the court,' Hutson's statement said. 'This incident was the result of human error: a misidentification based on a shared last name between two individuals. We are … conducting a full internal investigation, and I can confirm that disciplinary actions will occur.' Hutson pledged that her office would collaborate with efforts to 'ensure [Bryan's] swift return to custody'. The sheriff has been under withering political criticism after 10 men in custody at the New Orleans jail escaped the facility on 16 May in one of the largest jailbreaks in recent US history. Authorities said the men yanked open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans jail, squeezed through a hole behind a toilet, scaled a barbed-wire fence and fled into the dark. Their escapes were undetected for hours. Nine of the escapers have been recaptured, and investigators have arrested people who are accused of helping them in some fashion. The 10th escaper – Derrick Groves, who had been convicted of two murders and had pleaded guilty to a pair of other killings – remained at large as of Friday. Hutson has said she plans to run for re-election in October despite a recent poll which estimated her public approval rating was at a dismal 18%. Challengers who have signed up to run against her are also outpacing her in terms of campaign finances. The New Orleans jail has been subject to federal monitoring for years as well as a consent decree aimed at improving conditions there. Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana contributed reporting
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Inmate mistakenly released from New Orleans jail, manhunt underway: Police
An inmate was mistakenly released from a New Orleans jail, sparking an ongoing manhunt, authorities said Friday. Khalil Bryan, 30, was released from the Orleans Justice Center on Friday due to a "human error," when he was confused with an individual with a similar last name, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson. "I want to make a sincere apology to the people of New Orleans," Hutson said during a press briefing on Friday. "The mistaken release of Khalil Bryan was a serious error, and as sheriff, I take full responsibility." The New Orleans Police Department is actively searching for Bryan, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said. Kirkpatrick said it is unclear if Bryan knows he was mistakenly released, but police are now "putting him on notice" that he is a fugitive. She urged him to turn himself in. "You and others who may be harboring him at this moment will be subject to prosecution yourself because you are on notice," the chief said. MORE: 1 of final 2 New Orleans jail escapees found after sheriff received tip: Police At the time of his mistaken release, Bryan was being held on charges including possession of stolen property, drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer, according to Kirkpatrick. He also has an active warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse, child endangerment and home invasion, she said. He has a "violent criminal history," including aggravated burglary, aggravated assault with a weapon and aggravated criminal damage to property, Kirkpatrick said. Hutson said her office immediately launched an internal investigation after the error was discovered and is questioning those who were on duty at the time. She said she did not know when exactly he was released. "We'll find out exactly what did happen, because we don't know until we talk to them," she said. "We know that there were similar last names. That's all that we know." Disciplinary action "will be forthcoming," the sheriff said. "This should not have happened," she said. "It was a failure of internal processes, and the public has every right to expect better." Bryan was being held on a $100,000 bench warrant related to a failure to appear for arraignment in a case, and an additional $25,000 bond tied to new felony charges, according to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams. "Despite those holds, Bryan was released in error when deputies, responding to a bond posted by an unrelated individual for another inmate, failed to properly verify identity and mistakenly discharged Bryan instead," Williams said in a statement. Williams said his office is not ruling out pursuing possible charges against the deputy or deputies who let the inmate walk free -- saying, "We will follow the leads." MORE: Fugitive on the run for over 6 weeks after escaping police at airport captured The Orleans Justice Center is the same jail where 10 inmates escaped in May. One remains on the lam. "This is a deeply troubling incident that underscores the ongoing systemic issues surrounding the exercise of custody and control over detained individuals," Williams said of Friday's mistaken release. "The failure to properly confirm the identity of an inmate prior to release is an unacceptable lapse that presents a real and immediate risk to public safety." Authorities have notified the victim in Bryan's case, the sheriff said. Williams said his office is also reaching out to "all victims and witnesses associated with Bryan's prosecution." "Where we are unable to make contact, we are dispatching investigators to ensure the affected victims and their families are notified and receive appropriate support," he said.
