Mistakenly released inmate arrested, investigation underway
An inmate facing an attempted homicide charge who was mistakenly released from the Washington County jail in December was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon.
Washington police, the Washington County Sheriff’s office, SWAT team and drug task force served a search warrant at about 2:20 p.m. at 14 Murtland Ave. to arrest Samuel Valle.
Officials learned that Valle, 20, of Monessen, was not housed in the Washington County jail when he failed to appear for his Feb. 26 plea court hearing in a 2023 shooting that included an attempted homicide charge.
Chad Schneider, Valle’s attorney, told Washington County Judge Traci McDonald that the family notified him of Valle’s December release the day before the hearing. Schneider was only recently retained to represent Valle.
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh said he also believed that Valle was incarcerated.
“We didn’t learn that he was released until last Wednesday,” Walsh said.
It is not clear why Valle was released from the county jail in December. He was scheduled to appear in plea court on Dec. 5 but his case was continued until Feb. 26.
He was first charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license in September 2023 in connection with a gunfight in Charleroi. He was arraigned on those charges in May 2024 and released after posting a $10,000 bond.
Months later in October, Valle was arraigned in district court on felony charges of receiving stolen property and carrying a firearm without a license. According to online court records, District Judge Eric Porter denied bond due to Valle’s refusal to give an address and being a “threat to society.”
An email sent Thursday to Washington County jail Warden Jeffrey Fewell generated an auto-reply that states he is out of the office until March 17.
County Commissioner Nick Sherman issued a statement Wednesday indicating efforts are underway to determine how the mistake occurred.
“The county commissioners are glad that Samuel Valle is now in custody, bringing this situation to a peaceful resolution. We thank County Sheriff Tony Andronas, the state police, and our dedicated local law enforcement for their vigilance and exceptional efforts in apprehending Mr. Valle. As we move forward, we are collaborating with the county courts to identify where the mistake occurred and ensure it doesn’t happen again,” reads the statement.
Sherman did not respond to a phone call Thursday seeking additional comment on the situation.
“There is an investigation. I believe the commissioners will be looking into that to figure out what occurred,” Walsh said. “We’ll participate and be part of the solution.”
During the operation to apprehend Valle, Washington police also arrested and charged Myairah Brown with a felony for harboring.
Brown, 19, lives at 14 Murtland Ave. Charging documents state that investigators determined that Valle was staying with Brown through their social media activity. Valle allegedly made a social media post about his own case.
Walsh described efforts to locate Valle as “non-stop” since they learned of his release.
“Washington city police, sheriff’s office and detectives were working around the clock to track him down,” Walsh said.
Brown was arraigned Wednesday afternoon before District Judge Mark Wilson, who sent her to the Washington County jail.
Per online court records, Valle is now scheduled to appear in plea court at 9:30 a.m. May 21.
Staff writer Mike Jones contributed to this report