SLIDELL - Police captured a fugitive Thursday night who's been on the run for months after he was "mistakenly" released from the St. Tammany Parish jail.

The Slidell Police Department said officers stumbled on 40-year-old Donyale James of Folsom while investigating an unrelated call at the Quality Inn on Grantham College Road.  He was found sitting on a bed with a loaded handgun and a "moderate" amount of methamphetamine. 

James was released by mistake from the St. Tammany jail in March 2023, according to police. The department did not elaborate on how that mix-up happened in the first place. 

According to police, James was supposed to be serving sentences for aggravated assault with a firearm, distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm
by a convicted felon.

James was booked into jail several drug and weapons charges.