MDC investigating erroneous release of inmate who faced murder charge

An inmate was mistakenly released from the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center on Tuesday — the latest in a series of similar incidents.

“We are not releasing the inmate’s name because this was MDC’s mistake, not his,” MDC spokesperson Candace Hopkins told the Journal.

Based on an initial review, she said the “potential failure to follow established policy and procedure led to this erroneous release.”

It’s the fourth mistaken release in the last several months. In one instance, a probationary employee put the wrong case number into the jail’s database, leading to the inmate’s release, according to MDC. In another instance, a staff member did not make sure the inmate was processed into pretrial services first, the Journal previously reported.

The inmate released Tuesday was booked into the jail on April 4. He had been transferred to MDC from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in California.

“I do not have details about his California charges, except that he was serving a sentence at the California facility and is scheduled to be released in June 2025,” Hopkins said.

The inmate was transferred to Bernalillo County for a trial in which he was charged with first-degree murder, shooting at or from a motor vehicle resulting in a death, receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, tampering with evidence and being a felon in possession of a firearm, she said.

The case ended in a mistrial.

As a result, the inmate was ordered to be released. MDC received the release order and processed the inmate’s release from custody on Tuesday. But MDC was alerted Wednesday that the inmate should have remained in custody to be transported back to California, she said.

“The inmate was made aware of the mistake during a phone call with the Bureau of Prisons,” Hopkins said. Arrangements were made to transport him back to California, with his cooperation. MDC picked him up with no issues and proceeded with the transport arrangements. He is now back in custody at his original housing facility, she said.

All the incidents involving the erroneous inmate releases are under investigation, Hopkins said.

The final results of the investigation will determine whether any necessary accountability measures will need to be taken, she said.