OAN’s Abril Elfi
11:45 AM – Friday, September 22, 2023
Authorities have expanded their search for the murder suspect who was “accidentally” released and are now offering up to $10,000 reward for information.
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Investigators had looked for Kevin Mason for two years in Indiana on a murder warrant out of Minnesota. However, just two days after finally being arrested, the 28-year-old was freed again on September 13th due to a “clerical error.”
A manhunt has now been underway to find the murder suspect again. Authorities say they kept his accidental release quiet for six days to have a “tactical advantage” in finding him.
Mason had been arrested on September 11th on three different warrants in different jurisdictions out of Minnesota.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department the 28-year-old had previously been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a shooting in the parking lot of the Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis in June 2021 that killed Dontevius Ahmad Catchings.
Colonel James Martin with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Tuesday where they announced the escape and asked for the public’s help.
“Our clerk that was reviewing it sees three Minnesota holds, didn’t realize what she was doing obviously,” Martin stated. “It’s a critical error, critical mistake. They’re identified very specifically by the originating agency that did it. They have a specific ID number, they’re all different and the case numbers are all different.”
According to an inmate, a clerk in the detention center mistakenly removed two out of the three holds on Mason because she thought they were duplicates. The next day, a different clerk released the final hold.
“This was an error. This should have not happened. Mason should not have been release from out custody. This was discovered shortly after he was released,” Martin said.
Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal said in a statement Friday he is “fully confident they will locate Kevin Mason and bring him into custody.”
Morestal also said that investigators learned that the night of the escape, Mason had called his girlfriend, Desire Oliver, to come pick him up.
According to authorities, Oliver had purchased a new phone for Mason as well as men’s underwear, a travel kit and men’s slippers.
On Wednesday, Oliver was found and arrested on a charge of assisting a criminal and now remains in custody. However, Mason is still on the loose.
Both clerks who let the criminal free have since been fired.
The United States Marshals Service, which is now leading the investigation, is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Mason’s capture.
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