2 Florida men mistakenly released from prison

[October 17, 2013]  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities say two men convicted on murder charges were mistakenly released from a Florida prison with forged documents.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office says Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker were released separately from a prison in the Florida Panhandle in late September and early October. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement learned about the mistake Tuesday.

Walker was serving a life sentence on a second-degree murder conviction. Jenkins was serving a prison sentence for a 1998 first-degree murder conviction. According to the sheriff's office, both convictions stemmed from crimes committed in Orange County.

The Florida Department of Corrections says the men were released based on forged documents filed with the court to alter their sentences.

State and local authorities are searching for the men and investigating how they got released.

[Associated Press]

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