An Arizona prison inmate is back in custody after officials were allegedly tricked into releasing him by fraudulent documents.
Arizona Department of Corrections officials sprung David Cramer in June, despite his release date being set for 2047 following a conviction for kidnapping, resisting arrest and unlawful imprisonment, according to Phoenix station KJZZ.
Three orders were allegedly filed in his case appearing to dismiss the charges against Cramer and calling for his release. But despite being stamped by the county clerk’s office, authorities said the document that set him free wasn’t approved by a judge.
Late last month, DOC officials said they “became aware that inmate Cramer’s release from ASPC-Lewis was an error due to fraudulent court documentation uploaded to the Court docket and received by the Department,” and that Cramer was once again in custody.
Prison officials assured the public that a comprehensive investigation was underway to make sure nothing like that happens again. That review also involves the Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court, Maricopa County Superior Court and Arizona attorney general, according to KJZZ.
Cramer’s family insists the paperwork that temporarily turned him loose is legitimate and wants him to come home.
“They’re signed and sealed, not by the judge that’s on his case, but they’re signed and sealed by the presiding judge of Maricopa County at the time and by the executive clerk,” his daughter, Haven McQueen, told ABC15 on Tuesday.
A judiciary spokesperson reportedly told the station that the judge who appeared to certify the clerk’s office-stamped documents approving Cramer’s release did not sign those papers.
Official records in Cramer’s case dating back to 2012 show judges striking down fake orders filed by Cramer and his associates on multiple occasions, according to KJZZ. At one point, the clerk’s office threatened to alert law enforcement if such efforts continued.
