Daijiworld Media Network - New Orleans

New Orleans, Jul 27: Authorities in New Orleans are searching for an inmate who was mistakenly released from the troubled Orleans Justice Center, the same facility from which 10 inmates escaped earlier this year.

The inmate, 30-year-old Khalil Bryan, was released on July 25 due to what officials are calling a case of mistaken identity. Bryan was facing serious charges, including possession of stolen property, resisting an officer, drug-related offences, and had an active warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse, child endangerment, and home invasion.

Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick of the New Orleans Police Department announced that Bryan is now officially considered a fugitive. "Even though it was a mistaken release, you are on notice. I appeal to Mr. Bryan to turn himself in," she said.

Sheriff Susan Hutson admitted the release was due to "human error" after Bryan was confused with another inmate having a similar last name. "I take full responsibility," said Hutson at a press briefing. "The public has every right to expect better. This should not have happened."

The sheriff’s office is now conducting a full investigation into the error and reviewing its protocols, with disciplinary actions expected.

This latest blunder comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the facility following a major jailbreak on May 16, where 10 inmates escaped through a hole behind a toilet. Among them was 27-year-old Derrick Groves, a convicted killer, who remains at large. The other nine escapees have been recaptured and pleaded not guilty to escape-related charges on July 23.

The police department's violent offender squad is actively hunting Bryan, and authorities warn that anyone found harboring him may face charges.

The Orleans Justice Center processes over 11,000 inmates annually, but public confidence continues to erode following a string of high-profile security lapses.