Sheriff's Department taking precautions after accidental inmate release
Exact details on how a rape and burglary suspect was accidentally released from the Humboldt County Jail were not released Thursday, but the Sheriff's Department said precautions are being taken to make sure something like that won't happen again.
Clinton Lee Harris III, 26, was arrested Wednesday on A Street in Arcata after authorities discovered the mistake earlier in the day.
”We've identified the circumstances that contributed to this error and we are already taking steps to ensure this doesn't happen again,” said Sheriff's spokeswoman Brenda Godsey.
Harris was on the Sheriff's Work Alternative Program for a drunken driving conviction when he was arrested in April on charges of rape and burglary.
When he was booked into the jail the drunken driving conviction was put back onto his record and Harris automatically began serving the sentence.
The sentence for the DUI was completed Friday and Harris' name appeared on a list of people to be released.
When the mistake was discovered Wednesday, the jail informed the Arcata Police Department, whose case it is, and officers and personnel began working with Sheriff investigators.
Godsey said there was no indication by victim that she wished to be notified when Harris was released, which is a standard process usually asked by the investigating officer at the time of the arrest and marked on a booking sheet.
”Our staff made attempts to contact her,” said Arcata Police Capt. Tom Chapman.
Chapman said personnel went to the victim's home, but he was not sure if they actually made contact with her.
Godsey said investigators were in the process of getting a warrant Wednesday before notifying the public, but had reason to believe Harris was not a flight risk and was still in the area.
Part of that determination was made because a judge granted Harris a pass from jail on July 29 for the birth of his child and he returned Aug. 1 -- the date he was ordered.
He was tracked down through leads and acquaintances and when police met with the mother of Harris' child as part of the investigation, Harris was in the car and arrested without incident.
Officials said he didn't give any indication whether he knew he wasn't supposed to be released.
Chris Durant/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 08/10/2007 04:27:19 AM PDT
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