Man serving prison sentence in Oregon mistakenly released from Clark County jail following court appearance

A man serving an Oregon prison sentence was mistakenly released from Clark County jail following a court appearance in a separate Washington case last week.

Maurice Xavier Haynes, 27, was serving a 15-month sentence at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem after being convicted of first-degree criminal mischief in Multnomah County in June. On Oct. 28, Haynes was sent to Clark County Superior Court to appear in a separate matter in Vancouver, where he was accused of second-degree theft.

Haynes was expected to return to Salem's penitentiary to finish his sentence, which runs through at least June. But following last week's court appearance in front of Judge David Gregerson, Haynes was released, said David Shook, the county director of jail services.

As of Tuesday, he was still at large, and police are looking for him. Clark County officials say he is 6-foot-1, weighs about 170 pounds and has a tattoo on his right forearm that reads, "Markisha."

Clark County Jail Services is investigating how he was released. Without elaborating, Shook said, "we are just beginning to identify a root cause and will take appropriate action."

Haynes has several felony convictions in Oregon dating back to 2017, including third-degree robbery, first-degree theft, being a felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon.