SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday mistakenly released an inmate who was being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.
ICE detainers are often applied to individuals suspected of living in the country illegally.
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The Sheriff's Office confirmed it inadvertently released Ricardo Mujica around 7 a.m. while releasing another group of inmates.
According to Sheriff Javier Salazar, Mujica had a state charge and an ICE detainer, but had already satisfied the conditions of his state charge when he was released. Online court records indicate that the state charge was for choking a family member.
Now that Mujica is out of BCSO custody, the Sheriff's Office said it and other local law enforcement agencies have "no authority to detain or arrest this person at this point." Salazar added that he is not considered an escapee.
Salazar sent KSAT the following statement regarding the release:
"A person who had a state charge and an ICE detainer was sentenced 4 years probation on the state charge, but was inadvertently walked out with another group of released persons. The person had satisfied conditions of his state charge, and only the detainer remained. As such, local officers have no authority to arrest or detain this person at this point. He is not considered an escapee.”