I mean, who hasn't made a typo before?
When I make a typo, the stakes are generally pretty low - not ideal, but low. Usually, one of you devout NTB readers points it out in the comment section and tags my editor (thanks for tattling, by the way).
However, the stakes are relatively high for a county jail.
So, when the Cuyahoga County Jail made a "typographical error" in a court case number, a murder suspect was "inadvertently dismissed."
Twenty-two-year-old Amarion Sanders was awaiting trial for the aggravated murder of a married father of three and was being held on a $1 million bail. According to police, Sanders allegedly shot and killed 39-year-old Derek Driskill over a fender bender.
His trial was set to begin on August 19 for his connection to the September 2023 shooting in Cleveland.
Unfortunately, due to this court's typographical error, the defendant was released from the county jail where he had been held because he failed to make bond.
Imagine his relief and confusion when, just like that, he was simply let go this week.
Now imagine what the victim's wife must have felt when she learned her husband's killer was let go over a typo. Andrea Johnson, the victim's wife, told FOX 8 that she thought her husband would be ok after being shot, but he died two days later. She was heartbroken and couldn't believe it.
I don't think it's fair. I mean, that's not justice, it's not our family feeling safe. I mean, he's out on the street and can do it to somebody else.
I honestly do not understand how that happens. I understand humans make mistakes, but you would think there's more than one person that something like that goes through.
The guy who was actually supposed to be released was Antonio Seymore, 35, who was in jail for assault and theft charges.
The high-stakes typo happened when prosecutors decided to drop Seymore's case because witnesses didn't show up for his trial at the Cuyahoga County courthouse.
Authorities said somehow, Seymore's case docket number, which was almost the same as Sanders', was entered into the system incorrectly.
Sanders' case number was 685908, while Seymore's was 685909, according to court records cited by Cleveland.com.
When the mistake was discovered, Judge Timothy J. McGinty quickly issued a warrant for Sanders' arrest, sparking quite the manhunt.
Police asked the public for any information that could lead to his re-arrest. Several county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals, were all involved in the search for Sanders.
Luckily, the accused murderer didn't get too far. Sanders is now back in custody.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office issued a press release on the error:
The Court will review our procedures and work with the Sheriff's Department to determine how best to ensure that a similar incident does not happen in the future.
We are grateful for the assistance of law enforcement in providing the safe return of Mr. Sanders.
Oh man, things could have ended a lot worse. At least Sanders is back in custody, but my goodness, what an incredibly silly mistake that could have had such grave consequences.
(Here's me hoping no one finds a typo in this article ... 🤞😬)
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
