NASHVILLE – A Nashville man being held on a murder charge remained on the loose after being mistakenly released and not missed for 11 days.
The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said Finis Lewis, 32, was not yet back in custody Friday morning.
Sheriff Daron Hall said his department erred in releasing Lewis on May 14 and not realizing he was gone until May 25.
Hall told The Tennessean his department acknowledges something went wrong in the booking/releasing process.
“It’s obviously something internal,” Hall said.
Lewis had been held in jail since being transferred from state prison on Oct. 15, 2009, to await trial on charges in the killing of Kenneth Crawley and an attempted murder charge in another case.
When prosecutors dropped the lesser charge, jailers released Lewis.
Crawley was fatally shot at a public housing project in August 2008.
His mother Lisa Crawley still lives there and told the newspaper she is frightened.
“He (Lewis) knows where I live,” she said Thursday. “I put stuff in front of my door, and I have booby-traps. I’ve lost 5 pounds in 10 days.”
The department did not alert the public about Lewis’ release after it was discovered.
“That’s not our role,” Hall said. “We could release a press release about the circumstances, but we’re not out enforcing that. I think it’s a police call whether they want to roll out that information.”
A telephone message was left Friday for Paul Walwyn, Lewis’ attorney.
The search continued for Lewis and Hall said his agency was aiding in the manhunt.
“He surely and clearly has the capability of harming people, and we need him back where he should be,” Hall said.