A man accused of murder in Seattle was recently let out of a jail in the Bay Area by mistake, and authorities are still searching for him.
Isaiah Andrews, 20, was being held in a detention facility in Martinez, California, about 27 miles from Oakland, on a juvenile warrant from Sacramento and the murder warrant from Seattle. He was released on Oct. 22, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The sheriff’s office is investigating how and why it happened.
“After Sheriff’s Office staff realized Andrews had been released, we launched a search of the immediate area and confirmed that Andrews was no longer in the area. The search for Andrews is ongoing by the U.S. Marshals Service. Local law enforcement agencies have also been notified,” the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said.
Mr. Andrews, a resident of Kent, Washington, is accused of killing another 20-year-old man on Oct. 15. The victim, identified by KING-TV as Theodore Wheeler IV, was found suffering from a gunshot wound in a hotel parking lot. Despite the efforts of first responders, the victim died at the scene, the Seattle Police Department said.
“I think sometimes people forget that it is a criminal justice system: cops, courts, and corrections. And although we did our due diligence, the courts and that part of the system did not. … But it’s my understanding that he was released by accident and they are working feverishly to put him back into custody,” Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes told KOMO-TV.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and other area law enforcement agencies had arrested Mr. Andrews following a chase on Oct. 18. Prior to his mistaken release, he was due to be extradited back to the Seattle area to be booked as part of the murder investigation.
Mr. Wheeler’s mother, who did not provide her name, told KING-TV that “they shouldn’t have people in the field that are going to let something like that happen. Never, never, never should they have anybody in the field that is that negligent. I want someone to step up and take responsibility. They’re putting my family in jeopardy.”
