Manhunt for Felon Mistakenly Released from Jail Ends: Update

Updated. OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — A manhunt for a man convicted of attempted murder and released from the Oakland County Jail has been apprehended, officials said.

Johnnie Rodgers II, 25, was arrested Thursday afternoon and returned to the custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections, where he is serving up to 15 years on the attempted murder conviction.

Other details were not immediately available.

Our earlier report. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that a potentially dangerous felon held in the county jail was released by mistake Wednesday, and the sheriff’s office fugitive apprehension team, corrections and federal marshals have launched a manhunt to track him down.

Johnnie Derek Rodgers II, 24, was to have been turned over to the Michigan Department of Corrections, where he is serving a 7-to-15-year sentence for assault to commit murder. He had been held since Aug. 1 in Oakland County in connection with a charge of carrying a dangerous weapon in a school zone.

Rodgers received a 153-day sentence, with credit for time served, on that charge. In a news release, Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe said a deputy in the booking section “apparently missed” the order to transfer him to corrections department authorities and released Rodgers by mistake around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

An internal investigation is underway to determine how the error occurred, McCabe said.

Rodgers, who has no money or a cell phone, was last seen in the area of Seven Mile Road and Livernois Avenue and is believed to be in the city of Detroit, McCabe said. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots.

A cash reward has been offered for his capture, and anyone with information or who sees him is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 1-888-TURN-1-IN, 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Image: Oakland County Sheriff's Office