Inmate mistakenly released from Kootenai County jail is found outside of Seattle

Law enforcement from across Idaho and Washington arrested a man on Tuesday who was released mistakenly from the Kootenai County Jail.

Police located Daniel J. Billingsley, 46, of Bayview, Idaho, in Vashon Island, which is outside of Seattle, according to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office news release. He was taken into custody without incident by the sheriff’s office with assistance from western Washington law enforcement.

Billingsley was an inmate of the Idaho Department of Corrections brought to Kootenai County to face local Fish and Game charges. Those misdemeanor charges are violating a road closure and transporting forest products without proof of ownership from May 2023, according to court records.

Billingsley was mistakenly released on May 20. The sheriff’s office is conducting an internal investigation to find out why he was released, according to the release.

Billingsley was well-known to local law enforcement, with a slew of charges dating back 17 years, including burglary, robbery and domestic violence, the statement said.

He is being held at the King County Jail.