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November 16, 2013
A convicted felon wanted in three rapes dating back to 1992 was allowed to walk free from prison in August despite three active warrants for his arrest. He is only behind bars now after a chance encounter with New Orleans police.
Sherman Hampton, 59, was arrested Tuesday after an officer saw him riding a bicycle the wrong way down a Central City block. But he never should have been on the street, officials have confirmed.
New Orleans police had issued the arrest warrants in cold case rape cases while Hampton was serving a 10-year sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola for a burglary he committed in 2004. He was given credit for time served and eligible for release on Aug. 12.
Both the New Orleans Police Department and the Louisiana Department of Correction insist they did their jobs and point the finger the other way.
When Hampton’s release date came up, the Louisiana Department of Corrections should have contacted the NOPD and released him into NOPD custody, police spokeswoman Officer Hilal Williams said.
“We put out a hold on him,” she said.
Williams said the department issued a detainer — a document authorizing the DOC to detain Hampton for release and hand him over to NOPD custody at the end of his sentence.
The DOC late Thursday issued a statement saying that never happened.
“Typically local law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to submit notice of a warrant or detainer to a centralized state-wide and national system so situations like this do not happen– that was not done in this case, and a record did not exist when it came time for the offender’s release under the law,” said Department of Public Safety and Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc said in a statement. “If he had a pending detainer or warrant, the NOPD failed to report it outside of their own agency.
“Fortunately, he is back behind bars. We will work with the NOPD to ensure they fix their reporting issues immediately so this does not happen again.”
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune has asked NOPD for any records showing a notice of detainer was sent to the prison, but by press time no documents had been provided.
A department spokeswoman said the correctional staff at the prison ran Hampton’s rap sheet to check for any pending charges, but none showed up.
So he was released, and might still be free –the rape cases not moving forward — if it hadn’t been for two 6th District officers.
On Oct. 8, Officers Joshua Semke and Troy Daliet saw Hampton riding a bike against traffic near the intersection of Toledano and Danneel streets, police said.
The officers stopped him and held him while they ran his name. They found the three outstanding warrants for rape reported in 1992, 1995 and 2003, according to records filed in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
Hampton was cuffed and brought into custody.
