More trouble for the Orleans Parish Jail as an inmate is mistakenly released on Friday.
Jail staff released Khalil Bryan, 30, who was being held on several charges, including possession of stolen property and drug paraphernalia, as well as resisting an officer.
“The mistaken release of Khalil Bryant was a serious error; and as sheriff, I take full responsibility,” said Sheriff Susan Hutson during a Friday afternoon news conference. “It was a failure of internal processes, and the public has every right to expect better.”
Sheriff Hutson says Bryan’s mistaken release was the result of a clerical misidentification.
“He was confused with another individual sharing a similar last name,” Hutson said. “While our systems are designed to catch these discrepancies, human error led to a breakdown in the verification process.”
Hutson’s mistaken release comes two months after ten inmates escaped from the same facility.
Nine have been recaptured; one — Derrick Groves — remains on the loose.
Hutson says she knows that she and jail staff have let the community down with this latest failure.
“Our job is to hold them and to make them face justice,” said Hutson, “so this is not anything that we want for our community.”
Hutson says an investigation is underway, and disciplinary action will be forthcoming.
As for Bryan, he remains on the loose, and Hutson says his victims were immediately notified.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, who was also at the news conference, urged Bryan to turn himself in.
“Even though it was a mistaken release from custody, you are on notice, you are a fugitive,” said Kirkpatrick. “I’m going to ask that you turn yourself in. You — and others who may be harboring him at this moment — will be subject to prosecution yourself because you are on notice.”
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams expressed his displeasure in a statement issued Friday.
“This is a deeply troubling incident that underscores the ongoing systemic issues surrounding the exercise of custody and control over detained individuals,” said Williams. “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.”
