Current:Home > MySearch for murder suspect mistakenly freed from jail expands to more cities-InfoLens
Search for murder suspect mistakenly freed from jail expands to more cities
View Date:2024-12-23 14:14:58
Authorities have expanded their search for a murder suspect who was accidentally released from an Indiana jail due to a clerical error.
Kevin Mason, 28, was sought for more than two years in connection with a 2021 murder in Minneapolis until his arrest last week.
He was mistakenly released from the Adult Detention Center in Indianapolis on Sept. 13, two days after his arrest, due to "faulty records review by civilian staff," the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.
More than 100 officers from multiple agencies were deployed in Indianapolis Wednesday night pursuing multiple leads in the case, according to Col. James Martin with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
"It led us to leads outside of Indianapolis to include parallel investigations currently underway within other cities," Martin told reporters during a press briefing Thursday afternoon.
Martin did not disclose the names of the cities amid the investigation.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Mason's capture, Martin said.
MORE: Chester County prison officials had 'concerns about the leadership' a year before Danelo Cavalcante's escape
Mason was arrested on Sept. 11 and mistakenly released around 11:05 a.m. ET on Sept. 13, according to Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal. Authorities became aware of his release several hours later, around 5:30 p.m., he said.
Investigators learned he called for a ride later that night and his girlfriend, Desiree Oliver, picked him up near the jail, Forestal said.
Oliver obtained a new cell phone, "the deceptive type of behavior we'd expect from somebody when they're assisting a criminal," Forestal said during a press briefing on Wednesday. She also purchased men's underwear, a travel kit and men's slippers from a Walmart, he said.
Investigators covertly tracked her actions, instead of going public with the search for the suspect, before arresting her on Wednesday on the charge of assisting a criminal, the sheriff said.
Oliver remains in police custody, Martin said on Thursday.
Martin had a message Thursday to those who may be assisting Mason now: "We're going to be very aggressive in pursuing you. We will find you we will criminally charge you, just as we did as Desiree Oliver."
"We will not stop and we will not sleep until he is brought back into custody," he added.
Two Marion County Sheriff's Office employees were terminated due to Mason's release, the sheriff's office said.
"I think I've made it pretty well known that we're short-staffed, they're underpaid. That's not an excuse, but it's a fact," Forestal said.
Mason is accused of fatally shooting Dontevius Catchings, 29, in the parking lot of a Minneapolis church in June 2021 during a funeral service. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged him with murder in the second degree and firearms possession following the shooting.
MORE: Manhunt underway for convicted child sex offender who escaped from St. Louis hospital
Catchings' mother, Sharita Catchings, told ABC Twin Cities affiliate KSTP the search for the suspect in her son's murder has been "unbearable."
"It's hard, it's devastating," Sharita Catchings told KSTP.
"I was a very energetic individual, I'm not like that anymore," she continued. "Half the time, I don't want to get out of bed."
veryGood! (427)
Related
- 2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
- Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony: How to watch, stream, date, time
- Every Time Rachel Bilson Delightfully Divulged TMI
- Niger’s junta isn’t backing down, and a regional force prepares to intervene. Here’s what to expect
- World leaders aim to shape Earth's future at COP29 climate change summit
- Wells Fargo customers report missing deposits to their bank accounts
- The buzz around Simone Biles’ return is papable. The gymnastics star seems intent on tuning it out
- Lunchables adding fresh fruit to new snack tray, available in some stores this month
- Will Trump curb transgender rights? After election, community prepares for worst
- FDA approves first postpartum depression pill
Ranking
- U.S.-Mexico water agreement might bring relief to parched South Texas
- Search continues for beloved teacher who went missing 1 week ago
- Slain Parkland victim's father speaks out following reenactment
- Funder of Anti-Child Trafficking Film Sound of Freedom Charged With Accessory to Child Kidnapping
- DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
- Why one of the judge's warnings to Trump stood out, KY's kindness capital: 5 Things podcast
- Johnny Manziel ready to put bow on 'Johnny Football' with in-depth Netflix documentary
- Philippine military condemns Chinese coast guard’s use of water cannon on its boat in disputed sea
Recommendation
-
Report: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence could miss rest of season with shoulder injury
-
‘Cuddling’: Just what the doctor ordered for rescued walrus calf in Alaska
-
How high school activism put Barbara Lee on the path to Congress — and a fight for Dianne Feinstein's seat
-
Vermont’s flood-wracked capital city ponders a rebuild with one eye on climate change
-
Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term
-
Are you very agreeable? This personality trait may be why you make less money than your peers.
-
U.S. Border Patrol agents discover 7 critically endangered spider monkeys huddled inside migrant's backpack
-
Police say multiple people injured in Idaho school bus crash blocking major highway