GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — The Guilford County Sheriff's Office shared what happened that led to two inmates being improperly released from jail within three days of each other.
Sheriff Danny Rogers said on Thursday, Sept. 19, Jessie Steed, 38, was mistakenly released. This happened at the High Point Detention Center.
Steed pleaded guilty to assault inflicting serious bodily injury to his wife. His first stop when he was released was to go see her.
Steed was facing a list of charges relating to domestic violence including assault inflicting serious bodily injury, stalking, and trespassing
Karen Steed said she had to have reconstructive surgery on one side of her face - because of her husband.
"This specific incident, with the surgery to my face, was the worst of it all because he could have killed me, my paperwork from the hospital said that," Karen Steed explained.
Her husband pleaded guilty to the assault charge, and the other charges were dropped in this case.
However, the Guilford County Sheriff's Office said a court clerk did not send over a commitment order stating Steed had an active sentence for the assault charge.
For that reason, he was released, and went home.
Karen Steed said there was no incident, and her husband was immediately taken back into custody, but it could've been a close call.
"I think that the jail itself, and whoever signed him out has to be held accountable. Um, because like I said, it could have gotten a lot worse," Karen Steed said.
High Point police arrested Steed on the same day he got out. He is now back at the jail and is waiting to be moved to a state prison. He will serve between 11 and 23 months.
County officials said they were aware of the situation but that the GCSO operates separately from the county.
This improper release came just days after another in Guilford County.
You may remember, on Sept. 20 the GCSO announced that 32-year-old Carlos Diaz-Gomez had been improperly released from the Greensboro jail.
The sheriff's office said Diaz-Gomez used the identity of another inmate to "deceive" corrections officers to get out of the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro on Monday, Sept. 16.
Deputies didn't realize he was out until two days later. On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the sheriff's office issued an arrest warrant for escape.
The sheriff's office said releasing the information to the public would have jeopardized the investigation and apprehension of Diaz-Gomez. Gomez was apprehended on Sept. 20, four days after he initially got out.
"Sheriff Rogers acknowledges that the Guilford County Sheriff's Office takes full responsibility for the improper release of Diaz-Gomez which enabled him to escape and will take the appropriate action to prevent this from happening in the future," the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Rogers also said he launched an independent investigation into what happened.