Questions Swirl After Accused Killer Released From Jail
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - An accused killer is back behind bars on Friday after accidentally being released from custody last week. Now, the Dallas County sheriff is talking about the mix-up that let Tony Cason leave the Lew Sterrett Justice Center despite a charge of manslaughter.
Authorities stated that Cason tackled psychiatrist Dr. Ruth Anne Mardock and slammed her head against the floor at a mental hospital back in June. Cason was reportedly upset about being transferred. Mardock died two days later from head trauma.
However, the homeless suspect was released from jail on August 19. He walked free for nearly a week before anyone was made aware of what had happened.
Cason was put back behind bars on Thursday. The spotlight is now shining on the Dallas County Sheriff's Office to make sense of this mistake.
There was apparently some sort of miscommunication between jail staff and the Dallas Police Department, who filed the case against Cason. Sheriff Lupe Valdez said that it might have been human error, but she cannot be sure. "Could there be possible consequences? I can't guess," she explained. "If there was a human error, which I'm not sure if it was, then someone needs to be held accountable."
This is not the first time that something similar has happened. Dallas County accidentally released two dozen inmates back in 2014. At the time, officials blamed the mistake on a new Dallas Police Department computer system. There is an investigation underway to see what happened this time.
"If it was a human error," Valdez added, "then we are going to have to double check if it was communications error, if we need to talk to each other better. A print or something error, then we need to handle that."
Cason's file is now marked 'no bond,' so he should remain behind bars under his case is prosecuted. "We're just so blessed and lucky that the gentleman didn't go out and commit a violent crime or something," Valdez continued. "We are very aware that, whatever the error is, we need to take care of it."