Johnson waives extradition after mistaken prison release
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Authorities said an inmate mistakenly released from prison and recaptured in Georgia chose not to fight extradition back to Louisiana.
Benjuiel Johnson waived extradition in a hearing Saturday in Gwinnett County. Authorities will now begin the process of moving him back to Louisiana, where he will continue serving his 2013 sentence for manslaughter.
The Department of Corrections said a paperwork error caused the Dixon Correctional Institute to release Johnson on Sept. 23 to another parish jail in order to face a charge there, and Johnson bonded out the following weekend. That triggered a manhunt with a $2,000 reward, and investigators said tips led them to an Atlanta hotel where authorities arrested Johnson.
Johnson pleaded guilty in 2013 to shooting and killing Cordies Gales after a fight in Plaquemine. The DOC apologized for the error which led to his release.
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Authorities in Georgia said Johnson would be handed back over to the Department of Corrections, and he will likely return to Dixon Correctional.