Manitoba Justice launches review into inmates’ escape in The Pas

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/05/2023 (1118 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Justice would not explain Wednesday how three inmates, including an accused killer, escaped from the jail in The Pas Monday, but confirmed a review will be launched into the episode that had the town’s residents fearing for their safety.

“A divisional review will be launched to look at all of the factors that contributed to this incident, to help determine how it occurred and what can be done to prevent a similar situation in the future,” wrote a spokesperson for Manitoba Justice.

However, that review will never be released to the public, the spokesperson said, explaining that such reports are only internal to safeguard the security of facilities.

Information about the inmates, including their security classifications, or details about the escape, would not be made public Wednesday, the spokesperson said.

The last inmate to remain at large was caught early Wednesday, RCMP said. The news brought a wave of relief to residents of The Pas, 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

“It was good news to get this morning. Around 2 o’clock or 3 o’clock I got a text message from one of the officers in charge… and it was nice to be able to put that out on social media,” said Mayor Andre Murphy.

“It’s been a relief and I’m sure our community members are a lot more at ease today than they were the last two days.”

Patrolling Mounties found the last man on the lam — Kelly John Castel, 21 — in the south part of the town, about three kilometres from the jail, early Wednesday, RCMP said in a release.

Officers with a police dog and a drone raced to the scene after Castel was spotted, RCMP said. The dog tracked down Castel, who was hiding nearby. He was taken into custody.

Castel was being held on charges of robbery, carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, court records show. He’s been charged with new offences related to the jail break.

Castel and two other inmates managed to gain their freedom around 6:45 p.m. Monday. The first inmate to be apprehended, whose name was never released to the public, was at large for an hour and 20 minutes.

On Tuesday, RCMP issued a public alert to warn residents two men, considered dangerous, had escaped from the jail.

The second escapee — Xander William Tardiff, 19 — was arrested at a home in the town Tuesday, after Mounties got a tip he was hiding there.

Tardiff was being held on charges of second-degree murder and discharging a firearm, in connection with a killing in Flin Flon on Jan. 1, 2022, court records show.

On Tuesday, he was charged with two offences related to the jail break.

Murphy said he expected officials to conduct a review of the incident to identity ways to improve safety.

“It concerns me, as well as all the other community members, that these type of things can happen,” said Murphy. “I would expect as part of their review process that they will figure out what happened and what went on.”

He said escapes from the jail aren’t common.

“This isn’t a weekly occurrence or anything. I’m assuming this is an unusual event and we’ll probably learn more about it in the coming days and coming weeks,” Murphy said.

“If we think it’s something that warrants more work, we’ll raise the issue.”

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre said the force deployed all available resources in the province’s north to The Pas area to search for the inmates.

The mayor said some citizens have told him they were concerned about how RCMP alerted the community about the escape.

“I will have some discussions with our local (RCMP) staff sergeant to share some of those things… but we need to follow the direction of the RCMP, they’re managing that risk for us,” Murphy said.

“I believe they did what they believed was necessary to ensure that our community was safe.”

The Pas jail, which is rated minimum-, medium- and maximum-security, can hold 110 men and four women, Manitoba Justice said.

It also has a temporary holding unit for youth.

On Wednesday, the justice spokesperson said, there are currently 144 men and 11 women in the jail, 134 of whom were on remand and 21 were offenders serving their sentences.

A spokesman for Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said he was unavailable to comment.

The president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, which represents correctional officers, said they take their role in keeping communities safe “very seriously.”

“This matter is under investigation and it’s important we learn how to prevent such escapes in the future,” union president Kyle Ross said in a statement.

erik.pindera@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @erik_pindera