A man facing charges of first-degree murder turned himself back in after a clerical error led to his accidental release from jail.
The suspect, Jaylan Noah Davis, had been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a shooting that resulted in the death of Arthur Mikulski in Charlotte, North Carolina last year.
Davis was also facing additional charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
However, on Thursday (13 April), Davis was mistakenly released from the Mecklenburg County Jail due to an incorrect court order indicating that the charges against him had been dropped.
Despite being free, Davis voluntarily turned himself in the next day (14 April) after his father saw a news broadcast about the mishap.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden confirmed the clerical error in a statement shared on Twitter, expressing gratitude that no one was harmed during Davis’ accidental release. He acknowledged that it had been an emotional rollercoaster for the families involved and pledged to learn from the experience and improve the process accordingly.
Davis’ father, Andrew, spoke with a local news station and recounted the moment he learned about his son’s release. He revealed that as soon as they heard that his son was wanted, they immediately surrendered. Andrew Davis said he spoke to a jail sergeant who explained to him how the mistake had occurred.
“He explained to me that it was some kind of clerical error, and they released him. We brought him home,” Andrew Davis said. “But when they put it out on the news, I’m like we’ve been at home. They got the number here. They got the address here. You know where we’re at, I mean nobody came. Nobody did anything but we happen to see it on the news, so we went to go turn ourselves in.”
After Davis voluntarily returned to the detention center on Saturday morning (15 April), the Sheriff’s department confirmed that he is once again being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday (17 April).
The incident has raised concerns about the flaws in the criminal justice system and the need for improved processes to prevent such errors from occurring in the future.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, the authorities are committed to rectifying the situation and ensuring that justice is served.
As the case progresses, the families of the victim and the accused are undoubtedly grappling with a range of emotions. The accidental release of Davis has added another layer of complexity to an already tragic and challenging situation.
Nevertheless, the authorities are determined to learn from this incident and implement necessary changes to prevent similar errors in the future, as Sheriff McFadden stated in his statement.
Wild.
