A manhunt is currently underway after the Harris County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged that a 36-year-old inmate, Troy Dugas, was erroneously released from jail early Sunday morning, despite his pending transfer to state prison.
Authorities say jail staff failed to properly document Dugas’s existing sentence - five years for assaulting a family member in Fort Bend County and two years for evading arrest in Brazoria County - leading them to mistakenly believe he was eligible for release after local charges were dropped.
Dugas had been in custody since August 14 and was released at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The oversight came to light only the next morning, during a routine review of inmates scheduled for transfer to state custody.
Dugas is described as a 6-foot-1, 215-pound Black male with neck and chest tattoos, and was last seen wearing a white tank top, dark pants, and orange sneakers near southeast Houston’s Brookline Park.
Harris County officials have launched a “thorough investigation” to understand how the paperwork error occurred - and it’s not the first misstep of its kind. Earlier this year, another inmate awaiting trial was mistakenly released due to identity confusion, though he turned himself back in after 24 hours.
Sheriff’s deputies are urging anyone who sees Dugas or has information on his whereabouts to call 911 immediately.