Families of wrongly released felons urge them to surrender, peacefully

The families of two escaped felons, wrongly released from prison and believed to be in the Orlando area, appealed to them to turn themselves over to law enforcement.

At a press conference on Saturday, Lillie Danzy, the mother of Charles Walker, one of the men erroneously released from a Franklin County prison, urged her son to surrender. Henry Pearson, a father figure to Joseph Jenkins, the other felon wrongly released, also appealed for him to turn himself in.

“Charles, is there anything too hard for God? God knows who you are, I know who you are, your family knows who you are and we want you to return home safely,” said Danzy, as she faced a throng of reporters outside the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “…We just want you to surrender yourself to someone you trust, who will bring you back in safely…please come home.”

Jenkins and Walker were wrongly released from prison after forging court documents. Both were serving life sentences for murder when they were erroneously released. Jenkins was released on September 27, while Walker was released on October 8. While both men registered as felons at the Orange County Jail, as they are required to do, their erroneous release was not discovered until Tuesday, October 15, earlier this week.

Speaking through her attorney Rhonda Henderson, Danzy said, the family had been contacted by the Department of Corrections on October 8, informing that her son Charles was scheduled for immediate emergency released.  According to her, she verified this information by calling twice to the prison facility where her son was incarcerated and was provided the same information.

Henderson also said, Walker was taken to Tallahassee and placed on a bus bound for Orlando, where he was reunited with his family.  “The family believed that their prayers had been answered and Charles was released,” said Henderson.

Pearson, a father figure to Jenkins, also addressed the media and pleaded that he too, turn himself over to authorities.

“On behalf of our family, I am asking you, Joseph Jenkins to turn yourself in to the nearest appropriate authorities so that we can end this episode of our lives,” he said. “We love you.”

Pearson said that on September 27, the family received a phone call from the Franklin Correctional Facility notifying that his nephew (Joseph Jenkins) had been released and if they wished, they could pick him up.  The family took off immediately for the Panhandle, collected Jenkins and he walked out of prison with the clothes purchased for him.

Pearson also said, when they returned to Orlando, Jenkins was taken first to his grandmother’s, who was elated to see him, then to his mother’s house, then later to his own home.

A birthday celebration was planned for Jenkins on October 1, but he was a no-show, Pearson said.

“We have two families pleading that the two men turn themselves into authorities,” said Captain Angelo Nieves of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “Law enforcement will not let up, but we want this to end peacefully.”

Nieves added that the escapees could exercise several options in turning themselves in, for example, through a pastor or an attorney.  He said too that, a number of leads have been received from the public and there had been sightings of the escaped convicts.  Because the men have been convicted of murder, Nieves urged the community not to engage or confront them, but to contact law enforcement by calling 911.

“We consider them dangerous,” he said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading an ongoing investigation to determine how the men were wrongly released.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Jenkins and Walker should call 911 or Crimeline at 800 423-TIPS.