Accused Killer Accidentally Released from Jail
YAKIMA - A mistake at the jail set free an accused killer. KIMA first broke this story on Twitter and Facebook. Prosecutors told KIMA someone at the jail simply misread a document that allowed Alexander Quintana to post a very small bail. He's back in jail again. But we wanted to know how this could even happen in the first place.
" It was a horrible mistake and obviously there needs to be some re-evaluation," said Danette Baeza-Garcia.
Alexander Quintana is accused of killing Danette's son, Billy Kreder. He's been in Yakima County Jail since last December. Earlier this month we talked with Danette about the backlog of cases that has pushed the Quintana trail back for months.
Imagine her horror when she was told Friday, the man charged with killing her son had his bond reduced from half a million to just $10,000. Freeing Quintana for just $1,000.
Prosecutor Jim Hagarty said the bail changes were meant for a key witness in the case, not Quintana. But the director of the Yakima County Corrections department said both men were on the paperwork. It was enough to confuse the jail staff and allow Quintana to walk away.
" The document clearly refers to the defendant throughout the paperwork and that defendant is Quintana, " said Ed Campbell, Director of Yakima County Department of Corrections.
KIMA asked, " And does it clearly state his name where it says bail should be set at 10-grand?"
Ed replied, " The document has his name at the top and the the other subject's name at the top. It's not as clear to say bail is set on either one of those individuals."
Quintana was taken back into custody when he went to see his probation officer. The D.O.C said he went voluntarily.
Quintana is back behind bars now, but that doesn't help the family who spent an entire weekend looking over their shoulder.
" I was terrified for my family. For my little girl, she overheard the adults talking and she said Mommy Diablo's out?" said Danette.
It may take a while for Danette's daughter to feel safe again. Corrections staffers claim safety is their priority as well. And while these mistakes are rare, once is enough. The prosecutor and courts are now planning a meeting to make sure it is a one time only mistake.
KIMA spoke with the County Prosecutor. He says there were several red flags that should have caught the attention of jailers. The biggest was seeing a half million dollar bail reduced to almost nothing for a murder suspect.
" It was a horrible mistake and obviously there needs to be some re-evaluation," said Danette Baeza-Garcia.
Alexander Quintana is accused of killing Danette's son, Billy Kreder. He's been in Yakima County Jail since last December. Earlier this month we talked with Danette about the backlog of cases that has pushed the Quintana trail back for months.
Imagine her horror when she was told Friday, the man charged with killing her son had his bond reduced from half a million to just $10,000. Freeing Quintana for just $1,000.
Prosecutor Jim Hagarty said the bail changes were meant for a key witness in the case, not Quintana. But the director of the Yakima County Corrections department said both men were on the paperwork. It was enough to confuse the jail staff and allow Quintana to walk away.
" The document clearly refers to the defendant throughout the paperwork and that defendant is Quintana, " said Ed Campbell, Director of Yakima County Department of Corrections.
KIMA asked, " And does it clearly state his name where it says bail should be set at 10-grand?"
Ed replied, " The document has his name at the top and the the other subject's name at the top. It's not as clear to say bail is set on either one of those individuals."
Quintana was taken back into custody when he went to see his probation officer. The D.O.C said he went voluntarily.
Quintana is back behind bars now, but that doesn't help the family who spent an entire weekend looking over their shoulder.
" I was terrified for my family. For my little girl, she overheard the adults talking and she said Mommy Diablo's out?" said Danette.
It may take a while for Danette's daughter to feel safe again. Corrections staffers claim safety is their priority as well. And while these mistakes are rare, once is enough. The prosecutor and courts are now planning a meeting to make sure it is a one time only mistake.
KIMA spoke with the County Prosecutor. He says there were several red flags that should have caught the attention of jailers. The biggest was seeing a half million dollar bail reduced to almost nothing for a murder suspect.
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