- Ephrata, WA
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office’s mistake landed a released inmate back in jail on Thursday. The Sheriffs office gave Solares Rivera, an inmate who was released from the Ephrata jail the wrong car key fob belonging to another individual.
According to the Sheriff’s Office they believe one inmate’s car key fob was stored in the property box of another inmate, Eduardo Solares Rivera, who was being released from jail. When Solares Rivera left the jail, he was able to push the fob and unlock the door of the inmate’s vehicle, which was parked near the courthouse. Solares Rivera then drove away in the other inmate’s vehicle. Solares Rivera was arrested a short time later by Ephrata PD and lodged back in jail for theft of a motor vehicle, first-degree theft, and possession of stolen property.
In a statement Sheriff Tom Jones (R) said, “This clearly was a serious administrative accident, and we are taking immediate action to review policies and practices and implement new actions to ensure that it does not happen again.” In the statement the department will also consider whether staffing shortages in the Grant County Jail may have played a role in this incident.