An inmate was accidentally released last week from the same New Orleans jail where 10 prisoners escaped in May, officials confirmed.
The Orleans Parish correctional facility mistakenly freed 30-year-old Khalil Bryan, who was being held on charges including aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse, child endangerment, and home invasion. Bryan’s record also includes burglary, assault, and drug-related offenses. The release was due to a clerical mistake involving another inmate with a similar last name.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson took full responsibility for the error, saying the system failed due to human error in the verification process. Bryan was released just after 1 a.m. on Friday, but the public was not informed until later that day. It remains unclear when officials realized the mistake or when the sheriff was notified.
An investigation is underway into the incident. Hutson acknowledged the release should not have happened and described it as a failure of internal procedures. Bryan was freed from the same facility where 10 inmates broke out in May by removing a toilet from the wall. Authorities have recaptured all but one of those escapees.
The May breakout was deemed an “inside job,” with over a dozen people charged with aiding the escape. A jail maintenance worker was arrested and accused of assisting the escapees, though his lawyer claimed he is being unfairly blamed.