Arrest warrant for AMBER Alert suspect invalid on technicality

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOIO) – The arrest warrant for a man who police say kidnapped a 13-year-old boy was deemed “invalid” and he was ordered released, according to reporting by WHIO.

Suspect in Columbus Amber Alert Shane Steven Smith(WOIO)

On November 8, police found 48-year-old Shane Smith in Springfield, Ohio, in Clark County, canceling a statewide Amber Alert involving his 13-year-old stepdaughter.

Smith was found in a vehicle behind a home on Stanton Avenue in Springfield.

Police said the incident occurred on South Huron Drive in the city of Columbus around 10 a.m. on Nov. 8.

A court order filed Thursday ordered Smith released from jail because the arrest warrant filed in Franklin County was invalid, according to reporting by WHIO in Dayton.

Court documents showed that the box identifying the warrant as an arrest warrant was not checked, according to WHIO.

Although court documents describe this as “just a technicality,” the original warrant was quashed, according to WHIO.

Columbus police may issue another warrant to take Smith back into custody.