According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Kevin Mason was “mistakenly released” from an adult detention center in Marion County on September 13, two days after his arrest, “due to a faulty records review” by staff. The sheriff’s office has initiated a manhunt for Mason and is asking the public for help in finding him.
The sheriff, Col. James Martin, claimed during a press conference on Tuesday that it was still uncertain whether the suspect was still in the county.
Mason was seized on three outstanding Minnesota warrants, including one for murder in connection with a shooting in Minneapolis in 2021, according to the sheriff’s office in Indiana on September 11. Martin added that the other warrants were for suspected parole violations and weapons possession.
Martin maintains that the prisoner was released when a clerk in the Marion County sheriff’s office accidentally erased two holds from the offender’s file in an attempt to correct duplicate bookings. The colonel alleges that the next day, a clerk in Minnesota released the last hold on Mason’s file, oblivious to the previous day’s error.
Two inmate records clerks who had a part in his release, according to Martin, have been fired, and an internal investigation is ongoing.
This is very inappropriate and should not have happened. Mason, according to Martin, should not have been released from custody.
As soon as the blunder was discovered, “shortly after” Mason’s release, officials launched a “round-the-clock” manhunt, according to Martin.
Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal announced the arrest of Mason’s girlfriend on charges of helping a criminal at a news conference on Wednesday.
“We’ve been tracking that girlfriend since,” Forestal said, referring to Mason’s ex-girlfriend, whom he had called for a ride after being released from jail. “She has not cooperated,” the sheriff said of their efforts to contact her.
According to prison records, the lady was still being held without bond as of early Thursday. A counsel or a court date were not mentioned.
Mason’s search has began following a big manhunt in Pennsylvania that gained global attention. Danilo Cavalcante, a convicted killer, escaped from a Pennsylvania county jail on August 31 by “crab-walking” up to the roof and evading hundreds of officers for more than two weeks before being captured in the woods.
The sheriff’s office announced on Friday that the investigation has been transferred to the US Marshals Service, which aided in the search for Cavalcante. According to the sheriff’s office, authorities in countries where Mason is suspected of having links have been informed.
Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal: “As a former U.S. Marshal, I have a personal understanding of the extensive tools our federal partners have.” I have no doubt that Kevin Mason will be arrested by one of the 56 regional task forces, which nabbed nearly 76,000 fugitives in 2022.
Martin told reporters that the sheriff’s office delayed announcing Mason’s unintentional release for six days in order to maintain a “tactical advantage.”
“We have used this time as the quietness of the situation to not further run him underground and send him running further than what we wanted him to,” Martin continued.
Mason, according to Martin, has “local ties to Indianapolis” and has been residing there since the Minnesota murder for which he has been arrested.
The colonel highlighted investigators’ concern that Mason may have departed the area after being freed from jail, maybe with the help of unknown persons.
He has evidently managed to evade capture since 2021. And we think he’s great at it,” Martin added.
The sheriff’s department has issued a public call for anyone with information on Mason’s whereabouts to come forward.
Mason, who weighs 205 pounds and is roughly 5 feet 9 inches tall, has a cross tattoo beneath his right eye and the initials “SUB” inked across his chest.
While assuring the public that “we do not have any information that leads us to believe that the public is in any immediate danger at this time,” Martin advised the public to “not approach Mr. Mason in any form or fashion.”