Authorities are searching for a Texas man who was "mistakenly" released from jail before he was set to serve a five-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 mug shot.
The sheriff's office said Dugas was "due to begin serving a 5-year state prison sentence for assaulting a family member" and a two-year sentence for evading arrest. Both incidents occurred in counties just outside Houston, according to the release.
Authorities added that Dugas had been in the Harris County Jail since Thursday "on additional local charges that were subsequently dismissed" before his release Sunday.
“A thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances that led to Dugas’ erroneous release from jail,” the sheriff’s office said. “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 additional information.
Authorities described him as a 6-foot-1, 215-pound Black man with a tattoo on his neck.
They advised anyone who sights him or is aware of his whereabouts to call 911.
