Murder suspect mistakenly released from Indianapolis jail captured in Minnesota

INDIANAPOLIS — A homicide suspect who was accidentally released from an Indianapolis jail two weeks ago was captured Wednesday by the U.S. Marshals Service in Minnesota, authorities said.

Kevin Mason, 28, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. He was arrested in Indianapolis on Sept. 11 and was mistakenly released two days later due to a records-keeping error by clerks with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and congratulations to the USMS for concluding this manhunt and safely bringing Mason back into custody,” said Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal in a news release. “Our federal partners have kept us informed throughout the entire process. We are truly thankful for their assistance and wide resources — most specifically, their task force partnerships with local law enforcement agencies that have allowed them to pursue Kevin Mason throughout the country.”

Task force members assigned to catching Mason arrested him in an east side St. Paul residence, according to a news release. U.S. Marshals and the Dakota County SWAT team executed the search warrant and Mason surrendered to authorities without further incident.

Mason was wanted on three Minnesota warrants, including murder in connection with a 2021 shooting in Minneapolis.

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Mason’s arrest in Indianapolis was on three warrants — homicide, parole violation, and firearms possession — from three different jurisdictions, according to the sheriff’s office.

He is accused of shooting and killing Dontevius A. Catchings, 29, outside a Minneapolis church after the funeral of a mutual friend in June 2021, according to local news reports at the time. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Mason and Catchings were "longtime friends, but they got into a fistfight over Mason refusing to return a gun to Catchings."

How was Mason mistakenly released?

Authorities in Minnesota waived extradition on one warrant, which may have contributed to the Indianapolis release, said Col. James Martin with the sheriff's office.

A records clerk thought she was "correcting duplicate bookings" on Sept. 12 and removed two of his holds. The next day another jurisdiction removed its hold.

An internal investigation is underway to determine if any policy or procedural violations occurred, but two sheriff’s office employees have already been fired. 

Mason was released the morning of Sept. 13. The sheriff’s office said it became aware of his release that same day and authorities determined that he left Indianapolis later in the evening. Martin said officials waited six days before informing the public of Mason's release to use time as a "tactical advantage" in keeping him from running underground. 

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Last week, the sheriff’s office announced that the U.S. Marshals Service would lead the search and offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Mason’s capture. Mason's girlfriend, Desiree Oliver, 29, was also arrested on charges of assisting a criminal, according to Forestal.

Forestal said Oliver had picked Mason up in her car shortly after his release and then obtained a new cellphone before driving to a Walmart where she purchased men's clothing and toiletries.

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.