Police announce rearrest of Oklahoma County jail detainee after mistaken release
Oklahoma City police revealed the recent rearrest of a detainee who had been mistakenly released from the Oklahoma County jail in mid-December.
On Dec. 13, a man called police alleging he had been assaulted by his employer, Pedro Rodriguez Hernandez, 28, in the 2100 block of SW 65 Street. The man said Hernandez struck him with a firearm and choked him until he fell unconscious, according to responding officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department. Officers also said the alleged victim claimed Hernandez had threatened to kill him and then leave the United States.
Police arrested Hernandez on Dec. 13 and booked him into the Oklahoma County jail on complaints of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and threatening to perform an act of violence, jail records showed. Police also said they found numerous weapons and gun suppressors inside his home.
According to the Oklahoma City Police Department, investigators contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, also known as the ATF, and a federal hold was placed on Hernandez, which would have required clearance from federal authorities before Hernandez could be released from jail.
Police also said that on Dec. 14, despite the federal hold, Hernandez had been released by Oklahoma County jail staff. Officers found Hernandez later that day with "a large moving trailer hooked up to his vehicle," according to a social media post from the department, and arrested him again.
Hernandez was then booked into the Cleveland County jail in Norman, and Oklahoma City police said Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, placed him under an immigration detainer. Christina DeWalt, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, told The Oklahoman Saturday that Hernandez was released from the Norman jail on Dec. 19, but would not comment further on his release.
Attempts by The Oklahoman to reach ICE and the ATF for further information Saturday were unsuccessful, and staff at the Oklahoma County jail could neither confirm nor deny details of Hernandez's release.
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The Hernandez incident is the latest in a series of what officials have described as "unintended releases" of detainees at the Oklahoma County jail in recent weeks.
On Dec. 4, jail employees mistakenly released Devonne Sias, 28, who had been impersonating another prisoner who was actually supposed to be released. The clerk processing that release failed to confirm the detainee's identity. Sias was rearrested Dec. 11 and booked into the jail again on complaints of larceny, burglary and eluding a police officer.
On Dec. 1, Joshua Hardeman, 41, also was mistakenly released due to what jail officials characterized as a "clerical error" after a prosecutor declined to file charges involving prostitution against him. But Hardeman still had an outstanding warrant for a second arrest which would have kept him in custody, and police rearrested him Dec. 5 and booked him back into the jail on a complaint of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
"These incidents were not due to the newly implemented release procedures but to a series of staff errors," Mark Opgrande, a spokesman for the jail, said in a statement Dec. 5. "The Oklahoma County Detention Center is conducting a comprehensive internal investigation to understand the root cause of the incidents and to implement additional safeguards to prevent similar errors in the future. We are committed to transparency and accountability and will be working closely with our staff to address any shortcomings in our procedures."
"Immediate actions were taken to rectify the situations" involving Hardeman and Sias, Opgrande also said at the time, and jail staff were supposed to begin additional training and oversight measures to prevent unintended releases. It was uncertain Saturday what consequences might follow the mistaken release of Hernandez.
New release procedures at the Oklahoma County jail began in late 2023 following the facility's controversial handling of Nikita Webb's release. A judge had ordered Webb's release for time served related to two misdemeanor drug charges, but it took the jail another week to free her.
"We deeply regret the distress and inconvenience caused by these incidents," Brandi Garner, CEO of the Oklahoma County jail, said in early December. "Our top priority is to rectify the mistakes, ensure the safe return of the mistakenly released individuals to our custody, and take concrete steps to prevent such errors in the future."
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City police rearrested detainee mistakenly released from jail
