AUGUSTA — Police were looking for a man who was mistakenly released from the Kennebec County jail on Thursday.

Freeman A. Taylor Jr., 41, formerly of Wiscasset and West Gardiner, had permission to stay at the jail in Augusta rather than go immediately to the state prison in Warren so he could visit with his new bride.

Instead, he was set free, sparking a manhunt.

“It was very obviously a clerical error on our part,” said Chief Deputy Ryan Reardon from the jail Thursday afternoon.

Reardon said a bulletin went out to various police agencies describing Taylor as wearing a dark gray sweatshirt with an ace of spades on the front of it and light blue jeans.

Taylor is 5-foot-10, about 200 pounds and was clean-shaven with very short brown hair when he stood for the sentencing at the Capital Judicial Center earlier Thursday.

Reardon said Taylor was unlikely to return to jail on his own, given his criminal history.

Taylor has previous convictions for burglary and aggravated forgery and has served previous prison sentences.

On Thursday Justice Robert Mullen had sentenced Taylor to 14 years in prison with all but an initial four years suspended and four years’ probation for aggravated trafficking in heroin May 1, 2014, and robbery and illegal possession of a firearm March 10, 2014, all of which occurred in Augusta. Taylor also forfeited $6,832 in cash that was seized by authorities and was ordered to pay $4,000 restitution for the robbery and $240 for drug testing costs.

Taylor told the judge that he was grateful to the district attorney for giving him an opportunity to get off drugs.

“Drug addiction is pretty bad,” he said.

The woman he married, Tina Whittemore, now Tina Taylor, 49, was arrested with him May 1, 2014, in her Augusta apartment. She was sentenced on Dec. 30, 2014, to five years in prison with all but 28 days suspended and two years’ probation after being convicted of heroin possession. She is currently free on probation and was scheduled to visit Taylor at the jail on Monday.

“The only thing my codefendant is guilty of is loving me,” Freeman Taylor said. “I understand the effect drug addiction has on family and loved ones.”

He also said that he intended to spend some of his prison time assisting other inmates with Bible studies, and he hoped to make amends for what he’s done.

His attorney, Brad Grant, asked the judge to postpone Taylor’s departure to prison for a week or so to allow a planned Monday visit to go forward. Freeman Taylor had been jailed since May 2014.

“He recently married and wants one more visit with his wife that is set for Monday,” Grant said, explaining that Taylor wanted to remain at the jail, not go free, and the judge approved keeping Taylor at the jail until March 17, when he would go to the Department of Corrections.

Taylor was married in the jail on Valentine’s Day, said Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty. Liberty said he allowed the couple to be married at the jail, something that has occurred several other times in the past.