Texas Man Accidentally Released from Jail; Police Launch Search

Tue Oct 21 2025 12:25:19 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Texas authorities are actively pursuing a convict who was "mistakenly" freed ahead of a seven-year sentence.

Harris County police are looking for 36-year-old Tory Dugas, who was mistakenly released from jail Sunday morning instead of starting his prison term for assault and evading arrest.

Law enforcement in Texas is searching urgently for Tory Dugas, 36, after he was inadvertently released from Harris County jail early Sunday morning. Dugas was set to serve a combined seven years for assault against a family member and evading arrest. However, amidst a backlog of cases, jail staff failed to document his pending state sentence accurately, leading to his premature release at 4:30 AM.

Authorities only realized the mistake on Monday morning while reviewing inmates scheduled for transfer. According to Harris County Sheriff's Office, a thorough investigation is underway to discern how such an error occurred.

This incident highlights ongoing issues at the Harris County jail, which has faced scrutiny over similar mistakes in the past. Earlier this year, another man charged with capital murder was released due to a case of mistaken identity but later turned himself in after being free for 24 hours. The Sheriff's office is now urging the public to report any sightings of Dugas to assist in his recapture.