Fort Smith police and parole officers accidentally entered the wrong hotel room earlier this week seeking a wanted suspect.
Following an investigation into an assault by a parolee, authorities tracked the suspect to a local La Quinta hotel, where they walked in on people in a motel room who had no connection to their suspect, said Dina Tyler with the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections.
The suspect is still evading authorities, she said.
Fort Smith authorities responded to a call Wednesday (Feb. 26) about a woman who said a parolee assaulted her. Although the suspect got away, parole officers received credible information that the wanted man was at the La Quinta hotel on Boston Street, Tyler said.
Police and parole officers acquired a key from the hotel’s manager to the room in which they thought the suspect was staying. Authorities used the key to enter the room, but instead of seeing their suspect, they came across people with no connection to the case, Tyler said.
“From time to time, your information is going to be wrong,” she said.
Authorities apologized and left the room, she said.
There are no suspensions or internal investigations stemming from the incident, Tyler said.
"They did everything they should have done," she said.
A warrant on suspicion of violating parole was issued for the suspect, whose name is not being released by investigators.