BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — Two inmates were mistakenly sent to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Thursday, Johnny Garcia, a spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
The two inmates, identified as Fernando Zanco and Adrian Garza, were on their way back to the jail after jail officials became aware of the mistake, Garcia said Thursday afternoon.
According to Garcia, the inmates were taken off of a list of inmates supposed to be transferred to TDCJ, but were still transferred anyway.
It's unclear how the mistake occurred.
"This morning Corrections Officers from TDC utilized an older transport list, and boarded (82) inmates onto their transport bus and departed from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center," the Sheriff's Office explained. "After learning of the additional inmates being transferred to TDC, BCSO Transport Deputies made arrangements to pick up the inmates and transported them back to the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.
The two inmates transported remained in custody of TDC throughout the entire incident."
This comes after the Sheriff's Office told KENS 5 that it was overhauling its booking procedures, placing a captain on each shift and having members of Sheriff Javier Salazar's command staff overseeing the process.
"Booking protocols have been revised to correct the shortcomings of the paper driven process which has been in place through several administrations," the Sheriff's Office said.
Garcia said the Texas Commission on Jail Standards was notified. The Sheriff's Office confirmed TCJS conducted a pre-inspection at the jail Monday morning, meaning an official inspection is imminent.
"TCJS gave us all indicators that they're satisfied with where we are to now, and being that the next inspection has to be unannounced and a surprise visit -- any day now," Salazar said Thursday morning before news of the mistaken release broke. "I kind of like that because it certainly keeps us on our toes. It certainly keeps my people on their toes because we literally have to be ready for them to show up at a moment's notice."
Zanco and Garza's releases mark the fourth and fifth mistaken releases at the jail this month, and the 14th and 15th such inmate mix up at the jail to occur this year.
County Judge Nelson Wolff last week implored Salazar to hire a professional jail administrator, but Salazar seemingly declined that request, telling members of the media he already has a professional jail administrator: jail chief Avery Walker.
“I wouldn't pretend to know the job of other county elected officials, and I'd certainly appreciate latitude to do my own job,” Salazar said, referring to Wolff's assessment of the job Walker is doing.
Salazar said that in a nationwide search, Walker, who just last month earned his jail administrator certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, was most qualified. He said he has intentions of adding to his jail administration staff, but that Walker was going to stay in his post.
Mistaken releases to occur in 2019:
- Jan. 3 – Andrew Taylor Ford
- Jan. 15 – Ricardo Mujica
- Jan. 17 – Johnny Villalobos
- Jan. 28 – Terrick McCoy
- March 4 – William Castillo
- April 3 – Thomas R. Smith
- June 7 – Johnny Jacob Rocha
- July 17 – Trecko White
- August 18 – Daniel Gerardo Salazar Galindo
- September 1 – Matthew Christopher McGraw
- September 7 – Amanda Garcia
- September 19 – Esequiel Hernandez
- September 19 – Erica Morales
- September 26 – Fernando Zanco and Adrian Garza