The capture of Kevin Mason, 28, took place around 2 p.m. ET by the US Marshals Service, which had launched a nationwide search for him following his erroneous release.
Marion County Sheriff Kerry J. Forestal expressed gratitude to the US Marshals Service for successfully concluding the manhunt and safely returning Mason to custody. Sheriff Forestal praised the federal partners for their cooperation and extensive resources, particularly their collaboration with local law enforcement agencies in pursuing Mason across the country.
Mason's legal troubles began when he was arrested in Indiana on September 11.
He was wanted on three warrants from Minnesota, including one for suspicion of murder in connection with a 2021 shooting in Minneapolis. The other warrants were related to an alleged parole violation and firearms possession.
Shockingly, just two days after his arrest, Mason was "mistakenly released" from the adult detention center due to a clerical error during a records review by staff.
The error occurred when a Marion County sheriff's clerk believed they were correcting duplicate bookings for the inmate and inadvertently removed two holds from his file. Subsequently, a Minnesota clerk also failed to detect the previous error and lifted the final hold in Mason's file.
The mistake triggered a nationwide manhunt, with the US Marshals Service offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Mason's capture. Both inmate records clerks involved in the release have been terminated, and an internal investigation is underway to prevent such errors in the future.
Despite discovering the error soon after Mason's release, the sheriff's office waited six days to inform the public, citing a desire to maintain a "tactical advantage."
The US Marshals Service took over the investigation, and the sheriff's office has been coordinating with law enforcement agencies in areas where Mason had potential connections.
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