Suspected killer who was accidentally released from Indianapolis jail has been captured

A homicide suspect who was mistakenly released from a detention center in Indianapolis two weeks ago due to a clerical error was captured Wednesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.

Kevin Mason, 28, was apprehended at about 2 p.m. ET by the US Marshals Service, which had launched a manhunt for his whereabouts since his release, the office said.

"I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and congratulations to the USMS for concluding this manhunt and safely bringing Mason back into custody," Marion County Sheriff Kerry J. Forestal said in a statement.

"Our federal partners have kept us informed throughout the entire process. We are truly thankful for their assistance and wide resources - most specifically, their task force partnerships with local law enforcement agencies that have allowed them to pursue Kevin Mason throughout the country."

Mason was first arrested in Indiana on September 11, having been sought on three Minnesota warrants, including one asking he be held on suspicion of murder in connection with a 2021 shooting in Minneapolis, the sheriff's office said. The other warrants relate to an alleged parole violation and firearms possession, sheriff's Col. James Martin said.

Yet two days later he was "mistakenly released" from an adult detention center "due to a faulty records review" by staff, the sheriff's office said.

A Marion County sheriff's clerk thought she was correcting duplicate bookings for the inmate and removed two holds in his file, Martin said. The next day, a clerk in Minnesota lifted the final hold in Mason's file and did not catch the previous error, he said.