There was an entire stack left sitting next a receptacle for the taking.
"It appears this was simply human error," said Captain John Martin of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Documents brought to this facility from other jails are supposed to be shredded. Protocol is to destroy them before they ever leave the building. Captain Martin says the deputy in charge had every intention of doing that.
"The deputy inadvertently put them into a trash bin instead of a shredding bin which explains how they got onto the sidewalk," he said.
Realizing what had happened, authorities collected the pile along with any loose papers. It's unclear whether every document has been accounted for.
"That shows you something, that shows you they are not doing their job," said former inmate Steve Griffin.
