A Massachusetts man is being held in jail due to what a court admits is a clerical error.
Martin Sanchez, 51, remains in jail in Middleton. Earlier in the week, he was arraigned in Salem District Court on an indecent assault charge.
His wife, Anne Mendieta-Sanchez, and his daughter, Savanna Mendieta, posted $10,000 cash bail. After that, they thought he was free to go.
"They let him out," Mendieta-Sanchez said. "There was no ankle bracelet, they didn't ask for his passport."
But in court, the judge said those conditions needed to be met for bail. The problem is, the court now admits that due to a clerical error, this information was never sent over to the jail before his release.
"We don't know anything about the law, we're not lawyers," said Mendieta-Sanchez.
"How should he still be in jail for something that he had no control over at all?" Mendieta asked.
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Since then, a series of events has unfolded. Sanchez was arrested again after the judge issued a warrant for the unintended bail violation. And now the jail says he can't be released until his next court date at the end of the month.
"He's just a loving guy, he does everything around the house for my mom," Mendieta said.
Sanchez has no criminal history and his family members say they will fight the charges. But until his day in court, they want to know why he's being held accountable for someone else's mistake.
"I don't know what else to do," Mendieta-Sanchez said.
Just a few weeks ago, in Quincy District Court, there was a similar communication breakdown. In that instance, a man charged with raping a woman was able to flee the country.
