Inmate mistakenly let out of Hamilton jail after 'administrative error': police

Hamilton police say officers are searching for an inmate mistakenly released from the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre.

Police said in a media release Shawn Delaney, 45, was let out on Friday, March 3 due to "an administrative error."

The service said it learned about the release on March 7 and told the public on Thursday, March 9.

Const. Indy Bharaj told CBC Hamilton police worked on "exhausting all leads" before alerting the public.

"This is to not alert the individual that police are looking for them, in turn keeping them from going further into hiding," he wrote.

It's unclear why police didn't find out about the release sooner.

Bharaj said Delaney has been convicted of both violent and non-violent crimes, but didn't specify what crimes led to his conviction.

"Delaney is aware of the error and actively evading police. Hamilton police are asking members of the public who see him to call 911," police said in a media release.

Andrew Morrison, a spokesperson with the Ministry of the Solicitor General, didn't answer specific questions from CBC Hamilton.

He said the province is working with police to find Delaney and return him to custody.

"The ministry takes its responsibilities to uphold the orders of the court very seriously," Morrison said.

He also said the ministry conducts an internal investigation of all improper releases to determine what caused the release, and how to prevent future improper releases.