Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
Three Lowndes County jail inmates accidentally released a week ago into the general public are back behind bars.
Two of them, DeWayne Williams, 23, and Albert Dunbar, 22, were located in Clinch County around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday by officers with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Clinch County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
The third, Charles Brown, 52, was located nearly four hours later, at about 5:15 p.m., in Valdosta’s Hudson Dockett community.
All three men were transported to the Lowndes County jail, reported Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine.
The three inmates were accidentally released into the general public around 4 p.m. Friday, July 23. They were supposed to be transferred from Lowndes County to the Lanier County jail, Prine said Tuesday. Instead they were released by a Lowndes County jail corporal.
Prine did not say how the mix-up occurred but that the corporal has been disciplined for his actions. He said the jail houses an average of 9,500 inmates per year, and this is the first time something like this has occurred while he has been sheriff.
Lanier County Sheriff’s Office reports stated that Brown was jailed for simple battery, obstruction of an officer and a parole warrant; Dunbar was jailed for possession of a controlled substance and a violation of probation hold from Clinch County; Williams was jailed for possession of a controlled substance, driving without a license and a violation of probation hold from Clinch County. Prine said that Brown’s girlfriend was taken into custody Wednesday as well and will be charged.
However, he did not disclose her identity or what she would be charged with.
No other details were known at press time.
