Florida Man Charged With First-Degree Murder Was Released From Jail… By Mistake!

Fort Lauderdale, FL — Eric Vail, a 28-year old accused murderer, is now on the loose after being mistakenly released from jail by the Broward Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Broward officials are pointing fingers at who is to blame while they are simultaneously trying to find him to get him back into custody.

Vail, who was accused of fatally shooting Wadarius Harris in his pickup truck in Pembroke Park last October 2018, was originally arrested on a second-degree murder charge on January. But when it was upgraded to first-degree last April, the second-degree charge was dismissed as it involved the same matter as the first-degree charge.

However, he has been released on Thursday despite being ordered to be held without bond for the first-degree murder he is still facing.

“On Thursday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office was notified that the second-degree murder charge on Eric Vail had been dismissed. At the time Vail was scheduled for release, the jail had not received any documentation from the Clerk of Courts stating the subject was to remain in custody to face another charge,” BSO spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said in a statement.

The Broward County State Attorney’s Office rather claimed that they have “correctly followed all procedures and provided the relevant paperwork through the proper channels,” spokeswoman Paula McMahon said in a statement. She said, “The defendant was taken to court by the sheriff’s office on the first-degree murder charge on Thursday, so it’s hard to know how the sheriff’s office didn’t know about the first-degree murder charge.”

Meanwhile, Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Vail, believes that he’s not supposed to be out. He said that they will tell him to surrender if they made contact with him. But as of now, he said, “We have not heard from the client. We have no idea [where he is].”

Authorities are still finding Vail, who is described as a “dangerous criminal.” Aside from the first-degree murder he is facing, he was also considered a habitual violent felony offender based on his previous criminal record.