Post by CC on Aug 2, 2009 2:14:35 GMT -5
Mississippi inmate mistakenly released from Cook County Jail
Clerk's mistake allows man convicted of manslaughter to go free
A convicted sex offender serving a 30-year prison sentence in Mississippi for manslaughter was mistakenly freed from Cook County Jail after prosecutors here dropped sex-related charges against him.
Authorities said Jonathan Cooper, 28, formerly of south suburban Lansing, was brought here last week to face charges that he failed to register as a sex offender after his 1999 conviction for predatory criminal sexual assault.
But a clerk at the jail failed to note his Mississippi sentence in his case file, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Patterson. When prosecutors dropped the local charges Monday, jail personnel was unaware that he should be returned to prison in Mississippi, he said.
Clerk's mistake allows man convicted of manslaughter to go free
A convicted sex offender serving a 30-year prison sentence in Mississippi for manslaughter was mistakenly freed from Cook County Jail after prosecutors here dropped sex-related charges against him.
Authorities said Jonathan Cooper, 28, formerly of south suburban Lansing, was brought here last week to face charges that he failed to register as a sex offender after his 1999 conviction for predatory criminal sexual assault.
But a clerk at the jail failed to note his Mississippi sentence in his case file, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Patterson. When prosecutors dropped the local charges Monday, jail personnel was unaware that he should be returned to prison in Mississippi, he said.