YORK COUNTY, SC – Officers at the York County Detention Center erroneously released an inmate due to a clerical error. On September 10, 2024, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the inmate, John Michael Snipes, 40, was released when an officer did not print Snipes’ sentencing sheet due to assisting with a separate medical emergency in the booking area. Additional paperwork from the court came in shortly after that, and the initial sentence sheets were overlooked and not printed
Snipes was sentenced to seven years in prison for charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, second offense. Snipes was waiting to be transported to a South Carolina Department of Corrections facility when the release occurred.
“This incident appears to be human error,” said Sheriff Kevin Tolson. “We are conducting a full investigation into what transpired so we can take corrective actions to ensure this mistake is not repeated. We have some tremendous staff who work in an extremely tough environment in the Detention Center. They are often asked to do more with less, and while this error could have been prevented, I am extremely proud of each of the officers who work in that facility. The general public is often completely unaware of the work of those fine officers.”
Snipes was last seen at 11:15 p.m. walking toward Old York Road. Attempts to locate him began immediately after the error was discovered. The York County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit, Crime Suppression Unit, and multiple Patrol Deputies coordinated efforts to search for Snipes.
John Michael Snipes is a 40-year-old white male with short brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5’9” tall and weighs approximately 155 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white button-up shirt and black pants. His last known address is an apartment on Kintyre Rd., Rock Hill, SC. If you know where Snipes can be located, please call 9-1-1 or the YCSO at 803-628-3059. At this point, he is not believed to be armed or a threat to the public.
Snipes was initially booked into the Detention Center after turning himself in on September 10, 2024, for the charge of failure to appear on the charges of possession of methamphetamine. He was taken to court on that charge, which resulted in his sentence listed above.
