The top corrections official in Washington state resigned Saturday amid a political dispute over a computer coding error that allowed an estimated 3,000 inmates to be released early over 13 years.
The official, Dan Pacholke, resigned from his post as the secretary of the Department of Corrections in a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee in which he apologized for the error and addressed the brewing political controversy.
"It is my hope that with this resignation, the politicians who would use this tragic event for their political purposes will have satisfied their need for blood," Pacholke said. "The shaming and blaming needs to end."
Pacholke, who took over the agency in October, and Inslee have said that they became aware of the error in December, but have added that the problem started in 2002. It was identified in 2012, but went unfixed because of unexplained technology delays, they have said.
Inslee, a Democrat, has hired two former federal prosecutors to investigate how the error was left uncorrected for years, but the Republican-controlled state Senate has pushed to subpoena the department's records. In a statement, the governor signaled his disappointment with the turn of events.
"Corrections Secretary Dan Pacholke submitted his resignation this morning, saying he hoped that his move would end the political bloodthirst of Senate Republicans," Inslee said. "I doubt it will accomplish that, and I'm sorry to see a dedicated public servant end his tenure this way."
Jeremy Barclay, spokesman for the department, said officials had determined that out of a pool of 3,700 inmates who might have been affected by the error, about 3,000 were released early. He said 116 of those freed were required to return to prison after they were accused of crimes or parole violations after their release.
Two inmates who were released early because of the miscalculations have been accused of killings, according to a list on the department's website. One man has been charged with murder, and another has been charged with vehicular homicide. Twenty-seven other inmates among those mistakenly released have been accused of crimes ranging from misdemeanor shoplifting to felony domestic violence, according to the department.
Arrest warrants have been issued for nine inmates ordered to return to prison who have not done so, Barclay said.