Authorities in Texas are searching for a man who was “mistakenly released from jail” before serving his prison sentence, according to officials.
36-year-old Troy Dugas was “mistakenly released from jail on Sunday” despite being ordered to serve a five-year state prison sentence for assaulting a family member and a two-year sentence for evading arrest, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) announced Monday. Both convictions stemmed from cases in counties outside Houston.
Harris County Jail had been holding Dugas since Aug. 14 on other local charges that were later dismissed, according to the HCSO’s statement. Once those charges were cleared, jail staff appeared to fail to properly document his state prison sentence, authorities said.
Please be on the lookout for Troy Dugas, 36. Deputies are searching for Dugas after he was mistakenly released from jail on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Please call 911 to report sightings. pic.twitter.com/KNsFDnjZxI
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) August 18, 2025
“A thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances that led to Dugas’ erroneous release from jail,” the sheriff’s office said. “Preliminary indications are that jail staff did not properly document his state prison sentence in his file, leading to the mistaken assumption that Dugas was eligible for release once his Harris County charges were dismissed.” (RELATED: Quadruple Axe Murderer To Be Freed From Prison Under Tim Walz Law)
Authorities released Dugas’ mugshot and described him as a 6-foot-1, 215-pound black man with a tattoo on his neck. They urged the public to call 911 with any information regarding the whereabouts of the accused. The sheriff’s office has not provided additional details.