After escape, prisoners registered as felons

Within days of strolling out of a Panhandle prison without a hitch, two convicted killers mistakenly freed by bogus paperwork went to a jail about 300 miles away and registered as felons, records show. They were even fingerprinted and filled out paperwork to apparently keep up the ruse.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said Friday he believes the two killers are still in the central Florida area and that his most recent information puts fugitives Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker in the area. Demings said there have possible sightings, and that most of the mens’ families were cooperating, but he didn’t go into specifics. He appealed to the public for help and said billboards are being put up.

“We’re looking at the system’s breakdown, I’m not standing here to point the finger at anyone at this time,” he said.

Both men were serving life in prison but were both recently let go when authorities said forged documents duped the Corrections Department and court system and reduced their sentences to 15 years.

The error prompted prosecutors and prison officials to review their records to make sure no one else had been mistakenly released, and on Friday, the corrections agency changed its policy to require officials to verify all early releases with judges.

Jenkins was released Sept. 27 and registered at the Orange County jail in Orlando on Sept. 30. Walker was set free Oct. 8 and registered there three days later.

Felons are required to register by law. When they do, their fingerprints are digitally uploaded to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and a deputy at the jail verifies that they don’t have any outstanding warrants, said jail spokesman Allen Moore.

By registering, Jenkins and Walker likely drew less attention to themselves.

“If there’s no hit that comes back, they’re free to go,” said Isaiah Dennard, the Florida Sheriff’s Association’s jail services coordinator.

If felons do not register, a warrant is put out for their arrest, Dennard said.

Authorities learned about the mistaken release when one of the murder victim’s family notified the state attorney’s office. Dennard said victims’ families are automatically notified when a felon is released, typically by a computer voice-generated phone call.

It’s not clear exactly who made the fake documents ordering the release or whether the escapes were related. Authorities said the paperwork in both cases was filed in the last couple of months and included forged signatures from the same prosecutor’s office and judge.

The state Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Corrections are investigating the error, but so far have not released any details.

Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry said Thursday there were several red flags that should have attracted attention, including that it’s uncommon for a request for sentence reduction to come from prosecutors.

The Corrections Department said on Friday it verified the early release by calling the Orange County Clerk of Court’s office and checking their website.

Corrections Secretary Michael Crews sent a letter to judges saying prison officials will now verify with judges — and not just court clerks — before releasing prisoners early.

Sen. Greg Evers, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said he spoke to Perry on Friday and that the judge will offer a proposal in which judges review all early release documents before court clerks send them to prisons.