Inmate Accidentally Released...Not the First One

More on the inmate who was accidentally released from the Lubbock County Jail. There have been three other instances of an accidental inmate release in the past four years. Two in 2003, and one in June of 2006. All three were eventually found. Sheriff David Gutierrez: "The floor officer was contacted to pull a Joe Gonzales. A Joe Gonzales was pulled and taken to the release area. Joe Gonzales was released." But out of two inmates named Joe Gonzales, the floor officer pulled the wrong one. A mistake Sheriff Gutierrez says is unacceptable. "Employees with the Sheriff's office or any law enforcement agency have a higher standard of accountability because their decisions ultimately lead to serious consequences." And this isn't the first time this has happened. Early august of 2003, an inmate charged with raping a 15 year old girl was released because someone at the jail misread his charges. And not even two weeks later...another accidentally released inmate was found after murdering a man.
And just last year in June, another clerical error let one man go free years before his sentence was up. So how does this happen? "We are intaking and releasing more inmates than we ever have." But Sheriff Gutierrez says he's confident this won't be possible in the new jail because the new and released inmates will never mix. "It should not occur in the new facility. This facility is just, it's just a very congestive area." And he says the Sheriff's Office will not rest until the right 'Joe Gonzales' is behind bars. "We will not rest. I assure you he'll be looking over his shoulder, he'll be sleeping with one eye open til we find him." If you have any information, call the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office at 775-1601