Police find accused rapist mistakenly released from custody

Randy Early victimized elderly women

MIAMI – A rape suspect was found by Miami-Dade police Tuesday night after he was mistakenly released from custody.

Randy Early was arrested by Miami-Dade police's sexual predator unit at about 8 p.m. near Northwest 79th Street and Northwest Second Avenue.

He had been charged with sexual battery, trespassing and strong armed robbery. But there’s a caveat -- he has mental health issues and was deemed incompetent by the court.

Therefore, Early was living in a Miami assisted-living home in a house-arrest capacity.

Early was being monitored by the courts, but sometime last week he was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment for medical issues and was discharged.

The startling revelation was made in court Tuesday, when a Miami-Dade County circuit court judge found out that Early, who has a violent past and whose victims have been elderly women, is now missing.

It was revealed in court that transport workers were supposed to drop off Early at the facility under court orders, but there was an address mix-up.

The judge assigned to the case was upset over how something like this could happen and issued an arrest warrant.

Jackson Memorial Hospital declined to comment on this matter, citing patient privacy concerns. 


About the Author:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.