HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — An inmate who was mistakenly let out of the Harris County Jail on Tuesday is back in custody.
The 61-year-old was supposed to be headed to prison, but ended up on the streets, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Now, officials have a lot of questions to answer about how a mistake like this could even happen.
Marcelo Perez Campos was convicted of aggravated assault last week after he shot his own wife multiple times during an incident that happened in February 2021, according to deputies.
The woman survived, and Campos was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Inmate convicted of aggravated assault released from Harris Co. Jail due to error, authorities say
The man was supposed to be transferred to a prison, but on Tuesday, he was somehow released from custody and was missing.
ABC13 reached out to HCSO regarding the release of Campos, and the department shared this statement:
“Due to an apparent clerical error, Campos was inadvertently released on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.”
Overnight, the man was found and is now back in custody, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Officials did not release any further information about where he was found or what he did while he was free.
ABC13 spoke to the executive director of The Bridge over Troubled Waters — a local organization supporting survivors of domestic violence. She says this mistake must’ve been terrifying for the wife who was shot.
“I’m sure she is definitely not getting any sleep tonight because she doesn’t know where he is. And that is a tremendous fear for survivors — the unknown,” Olivia Rivers said. “I feel like when it comes to victims of domestic and sexual violence, the justice system only has two responsibilities: offender accountability and victim safety. And both of those things have fallen through the cracks with this case.”
HCSO is conducting an internal investigation to figure out if any policies or procedures were violated.
The Harris County Jail was already under fire over issues including overcrowding, understaffing, and general health and wellness among inmates.
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READ MORE: Harris Co. Jail’s reported continued non-compliance comes after 4 inmates died in January alone
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
