LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WZDX) – Authorities have captured Michael Prater, the inmate mistakenly released from the Lauderdale County Detention Center.
He was captured just before 9 p.m. Friday night in Cloverdale in Lauderdale County by Lauderdale County Sheriff’s deputies, US Marshals and the Shoals Domestic Violence Unit.
Previous story: Lauderdale County authorities are searching for a man who was mistakenly released from jail not long after being sentenced to 15 years.
Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Richard Richey said Michael Prater was mistakenly released from the Lauderdale County Detention Center Wednesday.
Prater had been transported to the detention center from the Fountain Correctional Facility in Escambia County to be sentenced for felony escape. He was sentenced to 15 years March 13, according to court records.
Paperwork for Prater’s sentencing was not entered into the Lauderdale County Detention Center‘s computer system, Richey said, so when he was eligible for release by the Alabama Department of Corrections, the jail let him go March 19.
Prater’s 15-year sentence was the result of a conviction for escaping from Lauderdale County Community Corrections Work Release, according to court documents. At the time of his escape he was serving time for felony child abuse.
Richey said Prater has a history of threatening violence against his family and should be considered dangerous.
Anyone with information about his location is asked to contact their local police department immediately.
