Man Serving Murder Sentence Accidentally Released From Prison
The Louisiana Department of Corrections is in a heap of trouble after accidentally releasing a convicted murderer. Now a few days later, the police are on a wild-goose chase as the killer remains on the loose.
In 2013, 32-year-old Benjuiel Johnson was sentenced to 40 years after pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and manslaughter charges. Prior to being released, Johnson had an outstanding battery charge from a previous incident involving a police officer, but was scheduled to be released on good behavior. On September 23, Johnson was discharged from the Dixon Correctional Institute and transferred to East Feliciana Parish detention center after a technical glitch left his recent charges undetected by officials. No one noticed the mistake until Monday, September 28, five days after Johnson posted $10,000 bond.
It has been three days since the oversight occurred - the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office, Plaquemine Police Department and the US Marshals have since issued a warrant for his arrest, but have yet to find any leads. Francel Johnson - Benjuiel's mother - helped bail her son out of jail last week, thinking it "a gift from God" that he was released so early on in his sentencing. "It's not his fault, it's not his fault,' said Francel. "He got released. You told him he was no longer your property, he bonded out, and now you're hunting him like a dog, like he escaped from prison or something. But no he didn't escape. You let him go. You all opened the doors and let him out of there."
Louisiana DoC spokesperson Pam Laborde made it clear they're "not trying to make excuses" for the massive blunder, as it was "something that should not have happened." "On the rap sheet, there was information on there that should have prompted the records staff at DCI who was working on his case to at least call Iberville and say 'hey I see something on it, I'm not sure what's going on, I don't have any paperwork on a conviction, but there may be something here, can you tell me what it's about?" Laborde also made note that the person responsible for the mistake will face disciplinary action.
Once captured, Johnson will be forced to complete his 40-year sentence.
In 2013, 32-year-old Benjuiel Johnson was sentenced to 40 years after pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and manslaughter charges. Prior to being released, Johnson had an outstanding battery charge from a previous incident involving a police officer, but was scheduled to be released on good behavior. On September 23, Johnson was discharged from the Dixon Correctional Institute and transferred to East Feliciana Parish detention center after a technical glitch left his recent charges undetected by officials. No one noticed the mistake until Monday, September 28, five days after Johnson posted $10,000 bond.
It has been three days since the oversight occurred - the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office, Plaquemine Police Department and the US Marshals have since issued a warrant for his arrest, but have yet to find any leads. Francel Johnson - Benjuiel's mother - helped bail her son out of jail last week, thinking it "a gift from God" that he was released so early on in his sentencing. "It's not his fault, it's not his fault,' said Francel. "He got released. You told him he was no longer your property, he bonded out, and now you're hunting him like a dog, like he escaped from prison or something. But no he didn't escape. You let him go. You all opened the doors and let him out of there."
Louisiana DoC spokesperson Pam Laborde made it clear they're "not trying to make excuses" for the massive blunder, as it was "something that should not have happened." "On the rap sheet, there was information on there that should have prompted the records staff at DCI who was working on his case to at least call Iberville and say 'hey I see something on it, I'm not sure what's going on, I don't have any paperwork on a conviction, but there may be something here, can you tell me what it's about?" Laborde also made note that the person responsible for the mistake will face disciplinary action.
Once captured, Johnson will be forced to complete his 40-year sentence.
