Beleaguered Rikers Island staffers accidentally sprang an inmate from jail less than one day after he began a 20-month sentence for burglarizing three businesses, according to sources and official documents.
In an embarrassing snafu, Jason Dauble, 35, walked out of Rikers Island at 1:31 p.m. Sept. 11 — one day after he was hit with two consecutive 10-month sentences for breaking into Filled Cake and Confections, Legacy African Market and high-end eatery The Richmond on Staten Island, according to an internal memo exclusively obtained by The Post.
The error wasn’t reported until 11:20 p.m. Sept. 13 — more than 48 hours after the lapse, the document states.
But the small-time crook’s freedom was short-lived, and he was back in cuffs Sept. 14 after authorities picked him up at Front and Thompson streets in Staten Island — less than two blocks from the businesses he victimized, according to court papers and the memo.
Dauble was originally charged with 15 counts of burglary, grand larceny, criminal mischief, petit larceny and possession of stolen property for breaking into the Bay Street properties and swiping cash, electronics and other valuables on separate dates in January and February.
As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the most serious counts and let Dauble cop to two petit larceny raps in exchange for a significant jail term, court records show.
A Department of Correction spokesperson said the incident is still under investigation and that those involved may be disciplined.
The stunning bungle comes on the heels of news reports exposing dangerous and anarchic conditions at the facility — in part caused by a severe staffing crisis.
“There’s a lot of times the intake staff may not be experienced because of the staff shortages and they’re sticking someone there,” said a jailhouse source. “They don’t know what to look for, they don’t know the paperwork.”
One in five Rikers employees didn’t show up to work Tuesday, leaving dozens of units without floor officers who help monitor inmates, DOC Chief of Staff Dana Wax said at a City Council hearing Wednesday.
The staff crisis has contributed to mayhem at the notorious city jail, where inmates have overdosed on drugs and have posted clips of wild parties to TikTok.
The Post exclusively obtained cellphone footage showing three inmates viciously assaulting another man as he cries out in pain.
During a tour of the out-of-control jail Monday, a Rikers inmate tried to hang himself in front of an Assembly member and a senator who were part of a team probing the “hellish” conditions.
The facility — where 10 inmates have died this year alone — is slated to close by August 2027 under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s $8.7 billion plan to replace it with smaller jails in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.
Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association president Benny Boscio Jr. has blamed the chaos on de Blasio’s mismanagement.
Under mounting pressure to address the deteriorating conditions, the mayor unveiled a plan Tuesday that would crack down on absenteeism, use NYPD officers in courts to free up correction officers for Rikers duty, and implement other emergency measures.
