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Paperwork Error Gives Inmate Temporary Freedom

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By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 31, 2008

Updated: 12/31/2008 07:09 pm

Lawrence Campanello

A paperwork error gave Lawrence Campanello a few hours of freedom this morning, even though he still had about 50 days remaining on his jail sentence.

Campanello, 50, was supposed to serve a consecutive sentence of 120 days on robbery and petty theft charges, but a section in the documents marked for concurrent sentences apparently was marked with a check, said Col Jim Previtera, the director of Hillsborough County jails.

So Campanello was released from Orient Road Jail this morning and went to his Egypt Lake home. A relative called the sheriff's office to inform deputies Campanello still had 60 days left on his sentence, Previtera said.

When detectives went to the neighborhood to look for him, it seemed as if Campanello knew his time out of jail was limited, Previtera said.

"He basically said, 'Hey guys, are you looking for me?' " Previtera said. "He enjoyed his few hours today, but he's back in Orient Road Jail."

Campanello was arrested Nov. 12 and charged with one count of robbery, one count of resisting arrest or detention in a retail theft and two counts of petty theft, jail records show.

According to court records, Judge Walter R. Heinrich reduced those charges from felonies to misdemeanors Dec. 3. Campanello's bail was revoked and he was ordered to serve the consecutive sentences after pleading guilty to the charges.

Online records for the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Court showed Campanello's release status was marked "time served" and that he was released from jail today.

Previtera said he and other officials will conduct an administrative review Friday, taking "a good hard look" to see if there was something in the documents that could have eliminated the confusion.

Mistakenly releasing inmates early "happens from time to time," Previtera said. "But if it happens once, that's one too many times for me."

Paperwork, human error or computer error are factors, he said. More than 72,000 people are booked into Orient Road Jail every year.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920.

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