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3rd state official resigns after prisoners released early

Published  February 18, 2016 12:52pm PST
Associated Press

OLMYPIA, Wash. (AP) — A former official of the Washington Department of Corrections has resigned from her job in another state agency.

Denise Doty, who was previously assistant secretary of the department when thousands of prisoners were being released in error, was said to be the highest-ranking administrator to have known about the improper releases, our news partners The Seattle Times reported Thursday.

The error was discovered in 2012, but not publicly disclosed until late last year. Doty was working for the Office of Financial Management when she resigned Tuesday.

A programming error has been blamed for miscalculating prison sentences, releasing more than 3,000 inmates since 2002.

Doty is the third corrections official to resign from state government in fallout of the early-release problem. Former corrections secretary Dan Pacholke stepped down earlier this month and former assistant attorney general Ronda Larson resigned last week.