Man Who Threatened Gay Nightclubs Accidentally Released From Jail

CHICAGO, IL — Police have apprehended an inmate who was accidentally released from Cook County Jail this week, officials said. Shane Sleeper, 31, is accused of threatening gay bars in Lake View, according to officials. Sleeper had been in jail since February.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office said there was confusion in court over which charges remained against Sleeper. He was in jail for misdemeanor charges of obstructing and resisting a peace officer, the office said. Those charges were dismissed Tuesday, and felony charges of state terrorism, hate crime and harassment were filed against Sleeper; however, the Cook County Sheriff's Office didn't know about the new charges, so he was released, the office said.

In an apparent reference to the mass shooting in Orlando at Pulse nightclub, Sleeper allegedly said "Orlando will come to Chicago."

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office said the sheriff's office was responsible for Sleeper's custody.

“Mr. Sleeper was in custody when the sheriff’s office brought him to court yesterday,’’ Foley said in emailed statement to the Chicago Tribune. “He was arraigned in a felony trial court room, where he was assigned a no bail status and left in the custody of the sheriff’s office.”

A spokesman for the sheriff's office said Sleeper was apprehended on Thursday, according to ABC Chicago.

Photo: Shane Sleeper, 31, via Chicago Police Department