Troy Dugas of Texas was sentenced to serve five years in a state prison for assaulting a family member. The only problem is, a single stroke of a pen is now causing authorities to scramble.
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The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Monday (Aug. 18) how Dugas had been in jail since Thursday (Aug. 14) after he was sentenced for assault in Fort Bend County, evading arrest in Brazoria County, and for “additional local charges that were subsequently dismissed.” The charges that were dismissed led “to the mistaken assumption that Dugas was eligible for release once his Harris County charges were dismissed,” the sheriff’s office said Monday. Now, Dugas is a free man and a massive manhunt is underway after his early “erroneous release from jail” Sunday (Aug. 17).
Authorities say Dugas is a Black, 6-foot-1 tall male with a tattoo on his neck. They say the 36-year-old also weighs 215 pounds and anyone who sees him is encouraged to contact authorities. This isn’t the first time a clerical jailhouse error allowed an inmate to walk free.
Justin Tompkins had been held on a $750,000 bond since December 2022 after being charged with capital murder, but was released after mistaken identity from the same Harris County jail in February. The jail’s staff, according to authorities, confused him with another inmate of the same name. The 21-year-old surrendered a day later.
Just last month, 30-year-old Khalil Bryan from New Orleans was being held on aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse, and home invasion charges. Orleans Parish correctional facility officials said he was confused with another inmate who had a similar last name and who was scheduled to walk free. Because of the mix-up, Bryan was released from jail early. Sheriff Susan Hutson said during a news conference how she takes “full responsibility.” She added, per CBS News, “While our systems are designed to catch these discrepancies, human error led to a breakdown in the verification process.” He was recaptured in the Houston area yesterday (Aug. 20).
If Orleans Parish correctional facility sounds familiar, it should because it’s the same jail where 10 inmates escaped in May. As of today, all escaped inmates except for one, Derrick Groves, have been recaptured. Authorities are offering $50,000 for information leading to Groves, a convicted murderer’s, arrest.
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