Marion County Releases Wrong Identical Twin Brother From Jail
INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said an “administrative release error” was made this week which led to the wrong identical twin brother being let out of jail.
Darrell and Daron Austin are inmates in the same jail. Darrell was mistakenly released in place of his twin brother after the twins’ uncle posted a $300 bond on Thursday for Daron.
In a press release put out Friday, the sheriff’s office said “because the two men share nearly indistinguishable physical characteristics,” jail staff retrieved, processed and released the wrong twin.
After noticing the error on Friday, MCSO notified the court and then got an arrest warrant for Darrell Austin.
At 3:17 p.m. on Friday, the sheriff’s office said, “Wrongful release Darrell Austin has been apprehended without incident and is being charged with escape as preliminary evidence indicates he intentionally impersonated his brother during the release process.”
“There’s no excuse — we own it,” said Major Ben Bostock. “This is a highly unusual set of circumstances. Two people with similar names, the same date of birth, and nearly identical appearance were in our jail at the same time, and staff were operating under a valid bond. That being said, it is clear that some policies were not strictly complied with. As such, this matter has been referred to Internal Affairs and the staff members responsible will be held accountable.”
Darrell Austin is in jail on charges of theft, criminal mischief and battery by bodily waste. Daron Austin was held on resisting law enforcement charges.
Daron was eventually released to his uncle Friday night.
