The Dallas County Jail discovered Thursday it had mistakenly released a man who is charged with manslaughter in the death of a physician at a Dallas hospital. Hours after the jail realized its mistake, authorities recaptured the suspect, according to The Dallas Morning News.
According to police documents, 55-year-old Tony Cason attacked Ruth Anne Mardock, MD, June 30 at Timberlawn Mental Health System in Dallas after Mr. Cason was told he would be transferred to another facility.
During the confrontation, which was caught on video, the physician's head hit the floor and she lost consciousness. Dr. Mardock was hospitalized after the attack and died July 2 from her injuries.
Mr. Cason was charged with manslaughter and was held in the Dallas County Jail until he was mistakenly released Aug. 19. That day was the deadline for prosecutors to file their case against Mr. Cason. If they didn't file the case by the deadline, he was eligible for release under jail procedures. Although the case against Mr. Cason was filed Aug. 19, he was still freed.
"It appears there may have been a human error in entering the release," Melinda Urbina, a spokeswoman for Sheriff Lupe Valdez told The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident, according to the report.
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