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Authorities Investigating After Inmate Was Mistakenly Released

DENVER (CBS4) – Investigators are looking into how the Denver Sheriff's Department was mistakenly ordered to release a dangerous inmate.

Authorities are trying to determine who ordered the release of an 18-year-old man who had been arrested on felony charges.

Despite Sebastian Littlejohn's arrest for aggravated robbery and kidnapping, the Denver Sheriff's Office released him from jail on Monday.

They apparently received a court order to let him go.

"The Denver Sheriff's Department was advised of conflicting information that suggested Mr. Littlejohn should not have been released," said Sheriff Gary Wilson.

Wilson says his office received the conflicting information early Tuesday morning.

With the help of Denver Police, Littlejohn was re-arrested a few hours later.

"It was pretty quick. We had good information on where he was," said Cmdr. Matt Murray from the Denver Police Department.

"Our initial investigation reveals that we followed the court order, policies and procedures," said Wilson.

The question that they are trying to answer is what led to the mistaken release.

"I'm concerned and I want the public to know that," said Wilson. "There's more work to be done to understand what happened."

The Denver Sheriff's Department is investigating and Wilson said that there is no evidence to suggest Littlejohn forged release papers.

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