Nearly 300 Texas defendants released due to computer glitch

HOUSTON (AP) — Officials say nearly 300 Houston-area defendants were ordered released after a computer glitch prevented them from getting an initial court hearing within the time period required by state law.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office says a computer system used by area law enforcement to file charges with prosecutors crashed March 24 and was down about a couple of days.

This prevented defendants from appearing before a magistrate judge for a probable cause hearing within the required time periods: 24 hours for misdemeanors and 48 hours for felonies. Most of the defendants released had been arrested on nonviolent charges.