(CNN) -- A California man was on probation when he was arrested then released for public intoxication, hours after which he allegedly killed a Roman Catholic priest in a church rectory. The terms of slaying suspect Gary Lee Bullock's probation -- which were for three years tied to a November 2012 arrest for cocaine possession -- did not mandate that he should have remained behind bars after his arrest in southern Humboldt County, California, on New Year's Eve. But had he stayed in custody, or if Eureka police officers detained him again after being tipped off about a suspicious man shortly after his release at the coastal city's St. Bernard Church, the gruesome story may have turned out differently.
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Murder suspect Bullock was on probation when he was arrested for public intoxication
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He pleaded guilty to cocaine possession tied to a 2012 arrest, got three years probation
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It wasn't the type of probation that should have kept him detained, lieutenant says
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Authorities say Bullock killed a California priest hours after his release from jail
One of Bullock's relatives eventually tipped off police to his whereabouts, leading to his arrest midday Thursday, according to the @placeholder police chief.