Harris County capital murder suspect mistakenly released by authorities, now back behind bars

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A Harris County Jail inmate, who was mistakenly released on Thursday, is now back behind bars. 

Harris County inmate mistakenly released

What we know:

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, 21-year-old Justin Tompkins was released from jail shortly after 9 p.m. on Thursday. 

Officials said initial indications are that jail staff mistook Tompkins for another inmate with the same name. 

Harris County authorities said jail staff realized the mistake on Friday night and a search was immediately launched. 

Tompkins voluntarily returned to the jail to surrender around 8:40 p.m. Friday. 

Harris County officials said Tompkins had been in jail since December 2022 when he was arrested on a capital murder charge filed by the Houston Police Department. 

Bond for Tompkins was set at $750,000. 

The circumstances behind the mistaken release will be investigated, authorities said.