INDIANAPOLIS — The girlfriend of a mistakenly released murder suspect from the Community Justice Campus in Marion County is now being charged with assisting a criminal.
Desiree Oliver, 29, is accused of providing transportation to 28-year-old Kevin Mason in an attempt to keep him from being caught.
Mason was mistakenly released two days after he was arrested. The sheriff's office was tight-lipped about it until about a week after he was accidently set free on Sept. 13.
According to court documents, Mason called Oliver around 11:15 a.m. to tell her he had been released and asked her to come pick him up.
"They let you out?" Oliver said with a surprise in her voice, according to court documents.
Mason then allegedly walked out of the Community Justice Campus and was seen on traffic cameras going west on Southeastern Avenue. Traffic cameras allegedly showed Oliver's car near the Community Justice Campus around 11:45 a.m.
According to court documents, deputies went to Oliver's home, but she was not there. Deputies spoke with her through a doorbell camera, when she allegedly told them Mason was still in jail.
When deputies asked Oliver to check her home to see if Mason was there, she allegedly said she had the only key to the home and wouldn't be back until 10 p.m.
Later that day, court documents say Oliver went to Walmart to try to buy various men's clothing items and travel kits, but her credit card was declined, so she left the store.
The sheriff's office believes Mason left the city the day he was accidentally released.
Police said Mason was arrested on Sept. 11 in the 3100 block of North College Avenue for three warrants out of Minnesota for a 2021 shooting, a parole violation and a firearms possession.
An internal investigation is underway at the MCSO to determine if any possible policy or procedural violations occurred. An investigation found one of the inmate records clerks saw three holds from Minnesota and cleared two of them as she thought she was clearing duplicate bookings for Mason. According to the MCSO, authorities in Minnesota waived extradition on the final warrant, not realizing Marion County had cleared the other two. The original records clerk and two others were supposed to review all the booking information and did not catch the error. As such, Mason was released.
Two MCSO employees were fired following the investigation.
The sheriff's office said it did not report Mason's accidental release for six days because they were using it "as a tactical advantage" in the hopes of catching him and not driving him into hiding. Police believe Mason has been getting help since his accidental release on Sept. 13. Mason has ties to Indianapolis, and police believe he has been in Indianapolis since the 2021 killing.
After his release, police said Mason's girlfriend, Oliver, picked him up. They said Oliver later purchased a new cellphone and took her car in for an oil change and tire repair.
A Marion County sergeant spoke with Oliver on Sept. 20, who allegedly told him she had known Mason for approximately six months after meeting on Instagram.
According to court documents, Oliver said she knew Mason by the name of "Knowledge" prior to his arrest for warrants under the name of Kevin Mason on Sept. 11 at her home.
Court documents say Oliver then told the sergeant she dropped Mason off near The Fashion Mall at Keystone, which was supported by traffic cameras in the area.
According to court documents, Mason used Oliver's cellphone to call an unknown male before getting out of the car.
Oliver allegedly signed a consent form for the sergeant to search her cellphone for communication between the two. Court documents say Oliver and Mason communicated primarily through app called Telegram after he was mistakenly released.
According to court documents, various messages from Mason include, "Is anyone following you?" "Is there a tracker on your car?" "Is your phone in your name?"
Oliver and Mason also allegedly discussed sending him necessary personal items and meeting up in person. Oliver also allegedly told Mason she needed to have work done on her car before she could come visit Mason.
The sheriff's office said a $10,000 reward would be offered for information leading to Mason's capture.
Mason is charged with second-degree murder for a shooting in June 2021 in the parking lot of the Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That shooting killed Dontevius Ahmad Catchings, the Minneapolis Police Department previously said.
Mason was believed to have possibly fled to Florida, but authorities later learned he had been living in Indianapolis for two years.
Mason is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs approximately 205 pounds, and has tattoos under his right eye (cross), chest ("SUB") and neck.