York County inmate at large after ‘erroneous’ release from detention center

YORK, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — An inmate was “erroneously” released from the York County Detention Center Tuesday night while waiting to be transferred to a different facility, and is currently at large, the sheriff’s office reported.

According to York County deputies, the release happened around 10:30 pm. Sept. 10. The inmate, 40-year-old John Michael Snipes, was reportedly released when an officer did not print Snipes’ sentencing sheet due to assisting with a separate medical emergency in the booking area.

Additional paperwork from the court came in shortly after that, and the initial sentence sheets were overlooked and not printed, the sheriff’s office said.

Snipes was waiting to be transported to a South Carolina Department of Corrections facility when the release occurred.

“This incident appears to be human error,” said York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson. “We are conducting a full investigation into what transpired so we can take corrective actions to ensure this mistake is not repeated. We have some tremendous staff who work in an extremely tough environment in the Detention Center. They are often asked to do more with less, and while this error could have been prevented, I am extremely proud of each of the officers who work in that facility. The general public is often completely unaware of the work of those fine officers.”

Snipes was sentenced to seven years in prison for charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, second offense.

Deputies say the wanted man was last seen at 11:15 p.m. walking toward Old York Road. Attempts to locate him began immediately after the error was discovered.

Snipes is described as a white male with short brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white button-up shirt and black pants.

His last known address is an apartment on Kintyre Road in Rock Hill. If you know where Snipes can be located, call 911 or YCSO at 803-628-3059.

At this point, he is not believed to be armed or a threat to the public.

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