A child rapist was wrongfully released from Galveston County Jail, giving him a glimpse of freedom.
The family of the young girl he was convicted of raping were outraged and contacted the KPRC 2 tip line.
“How are you going to tell me you’ve lost an entire person? We’re talking about an actual man. “You’re going to let someone go,” said Sheryl Boucher.
“This should never have happened. Then you have this dude slipping through the cracks. It’s like, “Can any justice be served?” said Jeremy Boucher.
Marshel James Settlemire was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October after being convicted of three counts of aggravated child sexual assault.
The Boucher family fought for the conviction after their 8-year-old daughter complained that her biological mother’s boyfriend had raped her for years.
“I cried a lot the day it was in court,” Sheryl said.
“There was a good cry of victory. It truly was. “We thought it was over,” explained Jeremy Boucher.
Thursday night, the family experienced an overwhelming sense of fear. They received a text from a victim notification system called Texas VINELink stating that Settlemire had been released from the Galveston County Jail.
“This man knows where we live, you know, so it’s like, it was a very unsafe feeling,” Jeremy Boucher, our driver, said.
Settlemire was transferred from Brazoria County to Galveston County on a bench warrant. Henry Trochesset, Galveston County Sheriff, told KPRC 2 that the mishap was caused by human error.
He claimed that an employee did not enter Settlemire’s charge into the system, and he was released because they were unaware he had a hold.
Settlemire was re-arrested about 16 hours after his release, according to the sheriff, after being discovered approximately 80 miles away near The Woodlands.
You know, some sort of miscommunication occurs. And dealing with a three-time felon for aggravated sexual assault is a public safety concern,” said Jeremy.
Days after Settlemire was recaptured, the Bouchers began frantically searching jail websites because he was no longer listed in the Galveston jail system. After the Bouchers and KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel made phone calls, they discovered he was being transported to a Huntsville prison.
“Thank you, Corley, for calling. “She found that out,” Jeremy explained.
To conclude, the family shared a text message they received confirming Settlemire’s arrival at prison.
“I feel relieved,” Sheryl Boucher said.
Sheriff Henry stated that they are investigating what occurred and determining how to prevent similar incidents in the future.