Rape Suspect Set Free By Typing Error Teenager Walks Out Of Jail Because Name Misspelled

FOR THE RECORD: 6-12-99 Wrong prosecutor: Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Stefanie Walter did not file the incorrect charging document that allowed a suspected rapist to be mistakenly released from jail. Someone else filed the document. A story in Friday’s paper stated otherwise.

What a difference an “H” makes.

A teenager suspected of child rape was mistakenly released from the Spokane County Jail after prosecutors made a typographical error on his charging papers.

Jonathan Lee Springer, 19, walked out of jail about midnight Wednesday.

Springer was arrested and booked late Saturday night after two girls - one 15, the other 13 - told police they had sexual intercourse with him.

Under state law, authorities can only hold someone for 72 hours without filing formal charges.

In Springer’s case, District Court Commissioner Brad Chinn gave prosecutors until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday to file the charges.

Sometime before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Deputy Prosecutor Stefanie Walter filed a complaint charging Springer with one count of second-degree child rape and one count of third-degree child rape.

But Springer’s first name was misspelled on the complaint and accompanying warrant as “Johnathan.”

“It was a typo,” said Deputy Prosecutor Ed Hay, Walter’s supervisor. “That one-letter difference caused the warrant not to be served on him in jail. Not to cast aspersions, but the warrant also had his date of birth and a police report number on it.”

But one errant keystroke on a complaint or warrant can cause headaches at the jail, which holds an average of 550 inmates a day, said Capt. Dick Collins, jail commander.

“That’s why we go to the extent of first name, last name, middle initial, date of birth, race and sex,” Collins said. “You want to make sure the right paperwork is served on the right person.”

In Springer’s case, a staffer who ran the misspelled name through the jail computer came up with records on five Jonathan Springers, Collins said.

One of them - a Jonathan G. Springer - had the same birthdate as the suspect. However, Jonathan G. Springer was not in custody Wednesday, Collins said.

“She thought maybe he just hadn’t been booked in yet, that maybe a detective was going to be bringing him in later that day and they would serve him then,” he said.

By the time the mistake was discovered, Jonathan Lee Springer had been set free. He was still at large Thursday evening.

Prosecutors filed a new complaint with Springer’s name spelled correctly Thursday. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.