An inmate accidentally released from Lake County Jail about 7 a.m. Thursday was found after an hourlong police search, Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez said.

Dana Lee Williams, 30, of Gary, was being held for investigation on a probable cause affidavit involving a traffic offense, Dominguez said. When the 48-hour holding period expired without charges being filed, the jail was required to release him.

"When they released him, the booking officer didn't see there was also a civil warrant from the juvenile court about a paternity matter," Dominguez said.

Authorities notified Crown Point and Lake County sheriff's police, who searched for Williams for about an hour. A Lake County sheriff's police officer found Williams and brought him back to the jail about 8:15 a.m., Dominguez said.

Dominguez said the booking officer who released Williams apparently only checked the criminal warrant database and not the civil one, as is required before an inmate is released. Williams is considered a nonviolent offender.

"An investigation is under way by our command staff with the booking officers to determine whether or not administrative action is required," he said. "It is to examine how did this happen and how to prevent it from happening again."

Consequences for the booking officer could range from a verbal reprimand to disciplinary action, Dominguez said. He said on average, the jail books 17,000 people per year.

"That means there are six to eight persons per hour being booked in or booked out," he said. "That's certainly no excuse, but this was inadvertently done, and we were fortunate it ended well."