Texas police hunt convict 'mistakenly' freed from jail

August 19, 2025

Texas police are searching for 36-year-old Tory Dugas who was mistakenly released from Harris County jail despite being sentenced to seven years in prison for assaulting a family member and evading arrest. Dugas, who had been in jail since Thursday on other charges that were dismissed, was erroneously released early Sunday morning because jail staff allegedly failed to properly document his state prison sentence. The Harris County Sheriff's Office discovered Dugas was missing on Monday morning during a routine check of inmates scheduled for transfer to state custody and has launched a thorough investigation into the incident, which is not the first mistaken release from this facility.

Who is affected

Tory Dugas, the mistakenly released inmate
Harris County jail staff and administration
Harris County Sheriff's Office
The public in the surrounding area who may encounter Dugas
The family member who was previously assaulted by Dugas

What action is being taken

Police are actively searching for Tory Dugas
The Harris County Sheriff's Office is conducting a "thorough investigation" into the circumstances of the erroneous release
Police have asked the public to contact them if they spot Dugas

Why it matters

A convicted criminal sentenced to seven years in prison is now at large in the community
This incident reveals potential procedural failures in the Harris County jail's inmate processing system
This is not an isolated incident, as the same jail previously released a capital murder suspect by mistake
The error highlights accountability issues within the correctional system
Public safety may be at risk with a convicted violent offender mistakenly released

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC