St. Louis County seeks man 'mistakenly released' from Itasca's custody

In what’s being described as a systems failure by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, authorities are once again seeking the whereabouts of a person who previously escaped custody in their county.

Michael Hart, 40, escaped from the state-run Northeast Regional Corrections facility in Saginaw on Sept. 23, 2025, while facing a presumptive prison sentence.

He was located in Itasca County, and had been held in their custody for 106 days before pleading guilty to assaulting an officer during his arrest.

Itasca County Sheriff Joe Dasovich stated in a news release that his office contacted St. Louis County but was informed that Hart’s warrant was quashed there.

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St. Louis County

“Without a valid warrant or official hold from St. Louis County, Itasca County had no legal authority to continue holding Hart in custody,” Dasovich stated. “Hart was released in accordance with the law.”

A joint statement from St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay and County Attorney Kim Maki said Hart was “mistakenly released” despite two active cases and substantial unpaid bail amounts.

“While the circumstances surrounding Mr. Hart’s custody status were unusual, given his multiple cases in multiple jurisdictions and his prior escape from custody, the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office played no role in his release,” the joint release stated.

Ramsay and Maki encourage Hart to work with his legal counsel and voluntarily turn himself in. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call 911.