In 3 months, 3 inmates wrongly released

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Once again, the Erie County Sheriff's Office has some explaining to do after an inmate was released by mistake.

Sheriff's deputies responsible for transporting inmates within Buffalo City Court released 25-year-old Paris Williams, who had been charged with stealing a car, mixing him up, it seems, with 26-year-old James Williams, who had been charged with trespassing.

Holding Center Deputy Superintendent Mike Reardon said, "The inmate in question was called by last name, and it appears that the deputy took the inmate that stepped up out without checking a wrist band."

This is the third time in just a few months that a defendant was mistakenly released by Erie County Sheriff's deputies.

In April, a 19-year-old defendant charged with harassment was released, deputies not realizing there was a bench warrant out for the man.

A month earlier, 32-year-old Awet Gebreyesus, accused of stabbing his wife, had been set free due to a mistake in his paperwork.

Sheriff Tim Howard explained, "Five employees have quit from that records area in the last year."

Howard previously told News 4 that the stress and required overtime has led staffers to quit. They work with an archaic system, according to Holding Center officials, keeping track of cell occupancy on paper cards. To complicate matters, each court has a different way of documenting the processing of defendants.

"Today these three people are dealing with 200 files that are coming and going to all courts that are not standardized in any way. The information is written separately from each judge or clerk," Reardon said.

Williams was taken back in custody without incident. He is being held on $5,000 bail.