YORK COUNTY, S.C. — The York County Detention Center mistakenly released an inmate on Tuesday, officials said.
The inmate, 40-year-old John Michael Snipes, was released at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 when an officer didn't print his sentencing sheet because they were assisting with a medical emergency, the York County Sheriff's Office said. Additional paperwork from the court arrived shortly after the incident and officers noticed the sentence sheets were overlooked and not printed.
Snipes was sentenced to seven years in prison for possession of methamphetamine. He was waiting to be transported to a South Carolina state prison when he was released. He was initially booked in jail after turning himself in on Tuesday for failing to appear. He was then taken to court on that charge, which resulted in his sentence.
Snipes turned himself in at the Moss Justice Center on Wednesday just before 5 p.m. There will be no additional charges because Snipes turned himself in, according to authorities.
“This incident appears to be human error,” heriff Kevin Tolson said. “We are conducting a full investigation into what transpired so we can take corrective actions to ensure this mistake is not repeated. We have some tremendous staff who work in an extremely tough environment in the Detention Center. They are often asked to do more with less, and while this error could have been prevented, I am extremely proud of each of the officers who work in that facility. The general public is often completely unaware of the work of those fine officers.”