The Harris County Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the premature release of Tory Dugas, who was sentenced to a total of seven years for assault and evading arrest.
Texas Authorities Seek Public Assistance to Recapture Inadvertently Released Convict
Texas Authorities Seek Public Assistance to Recapture Inadvertently Released Convict
Police pursue Tory Dugas after a clerical error led to his early release from custody.
Texas authorities are actively searching for Tory Dugas, a 36-year-old man who was accidentally released from jail ahead of starting a seven-year sentence for assaulting a family member and evading arrest. Dugas had been incarcerated in the Harris County jail since Thursday on separate, now-dismissed charges. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, he was released around 4:30 AM on Sunday due to improper documentation of his prison sentence within the jail's records. This oversight led staff to erroneously believe that Dugas was eligible for release.
It was only on Monday morning, during routine checks of individuals scheduled for transfer to state custody, that jail officials realized Dugas was missing. Police spokesperson Jason Spencer emphasized the importance of public assistance in locating the convict and urged anyone who may have sighted him to get in touch with law enforcement.
This incident is not the first of its kind at Harris County jail. Earlier this year, another inmate facing capital murder charges was mistakenly released due to a mix-up with a similarly named individual. That case concluded with the man voluntarily returning to custody within a day. The ongoing investigations aim to address procedural failures to prevent similar errors from occurring in the future.
