Bexar County jailers again free inmates by mistake
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the mistaken release of two inmates Thursday — and is considering the possibility that deputies deliberately freed them, Sheriff Javier Salazar said.
Addressing the latest in a string of botched releases, Salazar said investigators would try to determine whether the inmates were set free because of “negligence” on the part of their jailers “or malice,” Salazar said Friday.
“Are we ruling out that some of these were done on purpose? No, we’re not ruling that out,” Salazar said. “I’m not prepared to start pointing a finger and accusing people, but we’re not ruling it out either.”
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff expressed exasperation at the latest mix-up at the jail and called on the sheriff to replace his jail administrator. Salazar said he was not prepared to do that.
“The sheriff is in charge of the jail, but it’s getting to the point now where some drastic changes need to be made,” Wolff said at a news conference.
The first of the improper releases occurred Thursday morning. Esquiel Hernandez, 57, who had been arrested the day before on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, was released from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Adult Detention Center.
He was supposed to have been sent to Haven for Hope, a homeless shelter that offers substance abuse treatment and other services, as a condition of his bond.
Just 13 hours later, Erica Morales, 32, was released after incorrect bond documents were placed in her file, the sheriff’s office said. Morales was being held on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance.
After the sheriff ’s administration realized the suspects should not have been freed, both Hernandez and Morales were located within hours, arrested and brought back to the Adult Detention Center, Salazar said.
The three deputies who approved the releases have been placed on administrative leave.
Salazar called their conduct “totally inexcusable.”
He said two supervisors must approve the release of an inmate but added that the extra layer of review has not prevented erroneous releases.
“The people that are making these errors, that are costing these errors through negligence, are seasoned supervisors,” the sheriff
said.
At least 12 Bexar County inmates have been mistakenly set free this year because sheriff ’s office personnel made booking errors, confused inmates who had the same name or forgot to fit inmates with a GPS monitoring device.
Wolff called on Salazar to hire a professional jail administrator to replace Deputy Chief Avery Walker, who oversees the jails. The county judge suggested shifting Walker to a different role within the department.
“We have agreed to give funding for additional personnel . ... Whatever he needs to get a professional jail administrator, we are going to support,” Wolff said.
Salazar said he is not considering removing Walker, who has been with the sheriff’s office for more than 30 years.
“I would put his qualifications up against anyone else,” Salazar said. “We did a national search where he ended up emerging as the top candidate.”
Wolff urged Salazar to get his act together.
“He tells me he’s doing everything he can, and I believe he’s trying,” Wolff said. “But this many incidents over the last several months is unheard of.”