HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A man with a violent criminal history is at large after being mistakenly released from the Harris County Jail, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirms.<\/p>\n
Nicholas Guerra, 27, was released on a $5,000 bond Friday. It’s the same day he was set to begin serving his sentence for stealing a pair of pruning shears from a Home Depot.<\/p>\n
The sheriff’s office said jail staff released him due to paperwork showing he had posted bond, apparently not realizing he had also been sentenced in the case.<\/p>\n
“His attorney is cooperating with us and is making arrangements for the defendant to come serve the remaining few days on his county jail sentence,” the sheriff’s office said in a written statement.<\/p>\n
Court records show Guerra is currently on probation for repeatedly violating a protective order stemming from a July 2024 assault case.<\/p>\n
His then-pregnant wife told police he attacked her with a cup and repeatedly showed up to their Midtown home in violation of a judge’s order.<\/p>\n
Records show he violated the protective order on multiple occasions, including by breaking into the victim’s home, sleeping in her room while she was out, and slamming her to the ground.<\/p>\n
In August 2024, he was given three years’ deferred adjudication, but the violations continued.<\/p>\n
In November 2024, he was ultimately sentenced to 150 days in jail while his deferred adjudication agreement remained intact.<\/p>\n
In the theft case, he was initially sentenced to 48 days with credit for five days served.<\/p>\n
But the sheriff’s office said he would have served far less time in practice due to an arrangement in which inmates can get three days’ credit for each day served.<\/p>\n
Even so, Guerra still had days left on his sentence when he was released.<\/p>\n
In February, a man awaiting trial on a capital murder charge was released from the jai<\/a>l after jailers mistook him for another inmate with the same name.<\/p>\n In 2023, a man convicted of shooting his wife was mistakenly released<\/a> while waiting to be transferred to prison. The sheriff’s office blamed it on a clerical error.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Luke Jones on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2025 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n