Manhunt underway for Texas man 'mistakenly' released before serving 5 year prison sentence

[Desmond Milligan 0]

Authorities are searching for a Texas man that was "mistakenly" released from jail before he was set to serve a 5 year state prison sentence.

Troy Dugas, 36, was "mistakenly released from jail on Sunday" afternoon, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Monday in a news release that included his mugshot.

The sheriff's office said that Dugas was "due to begin serving a 5-year state prison sentence for assaulting a family member" and a 2-year sentence for evading arrest. Both incidents occurred in counties just outside of Houston, according to the release.

Authorities added that Dugas was in the Harris County Jail since August 14 "on additional local charges that were subsequently dismissed" before his release on Sunday.

“A thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances that led to Dugas’ erroneous release from jail,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Preliminary indications are that jail staff did not properly document his state prison sentence in his file, leading to the mistaken assumption that Dugas was eligible for release once his Harris County charges were dismissed."

The sheriff's office did not immediately reply to a request for comment seeking additional information.

Authorities described him as a 6’1” 215 pound Black man, and said he has a tattoo on his neck.

They advised anyone who is aware of his whereabouts or sights him to call 911.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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