Late Thursday afternoon, the Metropolitan Detention Center said it was investigating another erroneous release of an inmate that had occurred on Monday.
According to MDC, an inmate booked over the weekend on three misdemeanor trespassing charges and a charge of resisting, evading or obstructing arrest was ordered released on two of the trespassing charges, but was required by the court to post a $25 cash or surety bond for the remaining offenses pending trial. Staff released the inmate without completing the court bond requirement.
Although the incident occurred on Monday, Bernalillo County did not notify the public until Thursday night. That notice did not state whether the inmate was at large or in custody.
“Our records indicate that he is not in our custody, and hasn’t been since the erroneous release,” MDC Public Information Officer Daniel Trujillo said Friday morning.
MDC has been responsible for a number of other improper releases recently. In December 2024, an inmate from the Federal Bureau of Prisons was transferred to MDC for a local murder trial, then released instead of being returned to federal custody. Three other inmates were improperly released in separate incidents in July 2024. Those cases prompted an “exhaustive review” of policies, according to officials at the time.
An MDC internal investigation revealed that a staff member involved in one of the July incidents had also been involved in another erroneous release.
