Indiana authorities arrested the girlfriend of a murder suspect who is still on the run after being accidentally released from jail nearly a week ago, Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal said at a news conference Wednesday.
Kevin Mason, 28, is wanted on three Minnesota warrants, including one for murder in connection with a 2021 shooting in Minneapolis.
Mason was arrested in Indianapolis on Sept. 11, but, due to a clerical error, he walked out of jail two days later. He called his girlfriend, 29-year-old Desiree Oliver, for a ride and was picked up near the jail, Forestal said.
After she picked Mason up, Oliver, a healthcare worker, supplied him with underwear, slippers and a cell phone. Authorities had “been tracking that girlfriend ever since,” Forestal said, and on Wednesday afternoon they arrested her.
Authorities are interrogating Oliver and another woman, 25-year-old Chaznia Dawson, who was present when police arrested Oliver.
Marion County police launched an around-the-clock manhunt as soon as Mason was let loose, but they didn’t inform the public about it for nearly a week in order to capitalize upon the “quietness of the situation,” Col. James Martin said at a news conference Tuesday. The stealth gave authorities a “tactical advantage,” as a public search would likely have run Mason further underground, Martin said.
Police are now asking for the public’s help. Martin urged people to call 911 if they see Mason, adding that law enforcement “will not rest until he’s captured. We will not leave any stone unturned.” He said authorities don’t have any information that leads them to believe the “public is in any immediate danger” at this time.
Two jail record clerks have been fired since it was discovered Mason was allowed the leave the detention center, Martin said. CBS Minnesota reported that the sheriff said his employees are underpaid and overworked.
The manhunt comes in the wake of a high-profile, two-week search in Pennsylvania for escaped inmate and convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante, which came to an end on Sept. 13 with the public’s assistance.
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