Murder Suspect Accidentally Released from Jail in Indiana
After a painstaking two-year effort, authorities in Indiana finally apprehended 28-year-old Kevin Mason on a murder warrant originating from Minnesota. However, an astonishing turn of events saw him regain his freedom a mere two days later, all due to a clerical oversight.
Revelations emerged that authorities intentionally kept Mason’s accidental release under wraps for six days, citing a strategic advantage in their pursuit of him. Mason’s initial arrest took place in Indianapolis on September 11, based on three warrants from different jurisdictions in Minnesota.
Colonel James Martin, speaking on behalf of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, outlined the charges during a press conference, stating, “One being for homicide, one being for a parole violation, and the other being for a firearms possession.”
Mason’s homicide charge was linked to a tragic shooting incident in June 2021 at the Shiloh Temple parking lot in Minneapolis, resulting in the untimely death of Dontevius Ahmad Catchings, as previously disclosed by the Minneapolis Police Department. In September of the same year, authorities sought the public’s assistance in locating Mason, suspecting he may have fled to Florida.
Just 48 hours after his September 11 apprehension, Mason managed to walk out of the Adult Detention Center in Indianapolis. Colonel Martin provided a detailed account of the error, stating, “On Sept. 12 one of our inmate records clerks thought she was correcting different bookings for Mr. Mason. She removed two of the holds leaving one additional hold for Mr. Mason. The next day on Sept. 13, Ramsey County, out of Minnesota, lifted the last and final hold that we had booked on for Mr. Mason.”
He continued, expressing regret over the critical oversight, “Our clerk that was reviewing it sees three Minnesota holds, didn’t realize what she was doing obviously. It’s a critical error, critical mistake. They’re identified very specifically by the originating agency that did it. They have a specific ID number, they’re all different and the case numbers are all different.”
Regrettably, the error went unnoticed prior to Ramsey County’s removal of the hold related to Mason’s firearms charge. Colonel Martin disclosed that two inmate records clerks were terminated from the agency due to this grave mistake.
In reflecting on the incident, he emphasized, “This was an error. This should have not happened. Mason should not have been released from our custody. This was discovered shortly after he was released.” The aftermath of this clerical mishap has spurred a massive manhunt for Kevin Mason, intensifying efforts to bring him back into custody.
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