GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – A child rapist got a glimpse of freedom after being wrongfully released from the Galveston County Jail.
The family of the young girl he was convicted of raping were outraged and reached out to the KPRC 2 tip line.
“How are you going to tell me you lost a whole person? We’re talking about a real man. You’re going to let somebody go,” said Sheryl Boucher.
“Something that should have never happened. Then you got this dude sliding through the cracks. It’s like, can any justice be had?” said Jeremy Boucher.
Marshel James Settlemire was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October after he was convicted on three counts of aggravated child sex assault. A conviction the Boucher family fought for after their 8-year-old daughter made an outcry saying her biological mother’s boyfriend raped her for years.
“I cried a lot the day it was in court,” Sheryl said.
“It was a good cry of victory. It really was. We thought it was over,” said Jeremy Boucher.
The family felt instant fear Thursday night. They received a text through a victim notification system called Texas VINELink stating Settlemire was released from the Galveston County Jail.
“This man knows where we live, you know, so it’s like, it was a very unsafe feeling,” said Jeremy Boucher.
Settlemire had been transferred from Brazoria County to Galveston County on a bench warrant. Galveston County Sheriff, Henry Trochesset, told KPRC 2 the mishap occurred because of a human error. He said an employee did not enter Settlemire’s charge in the system, and he was released because they were unaware he had a hold.
Roughly 16 hours after Settlemire’s release, the sheriff said he was rearrested after he was found roughly 80 miles away near The Woodlands.
“You know, some kind of miscommunication happens. And whenever you are dealing with a three-time felon for aggravated sexual assault, that is a public safety issue,” said Jeremy.
Days after Settlemire’s recapture, the Boucher’s frantically began searching jail websites after he was no longer showing in the Galveston jail system. After the Boucher’s and KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel made phone calls, they finally learned he was being transported to a prison in Huntsville.
“Thanks to Corley for calling. She found that out,” Jeremy said.
To make things final, the family shared a text they received, confirming Settlemire made it to prison.
“I feel relieved,” said Sheryl Boucher.
Sheriff Henry said they are investigating what happened and working to figure out how they can prevent this from happening in the future.