A Georgia jail was locked down for 12 hours when a convicted murderer seemingly vanished — just for him to be found the next morning where he’d mistakenly been left in a courtroom holding cell.
Julian Brooks Deloach, who was convicted of murder in 1984 and paroled in 2010, had been transferred to Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro for a trial on a recent misdemeanor, WBSTV reported
For 12 hours, jail staff couldn’t find him, triggering a full-blown lockdown and a frantic search of every nook and cranny of the lockup, Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen told the outlet.
After a full review of jail footage, authorities found the 70-year-old inmate had spent the 12 lonely hours in an unsupervised holding cell.
“There was a mix-up of who was going to take the inmate down, and ultimately, he was left inside the holding cell,” Allen said.
The holding cell is connected to the jail and the courthouse, but officers didn’t think to double-check the area since inmates are not allowed to stay there overnight, the outlet reported.
Deloach only had a bench and a toilet to keep him company and was left unsupervised after 6 p.m., according to Allen.
“There is no one actually monitoring that particular cell if there was a distress call,” Allen said, noting the forgotten inmate was in no danger of escape since the holding cell is attached to the jail.
He was discovered at 7 a.m., 12 hours after he was placed in the cell, according to authorities.
Allen suggested that the correctional sergeants responsible for the blunder be demoted, and the two deputies assigned to the court division be suspended, according to the outlet.
The officers waived their rights to a hearing and accepted the sheriff’s recommended punishment, the outlet said.
