Stony Mountain inmate escapes while on escorted absence

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This article was published 11/01/2024 (644 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Stony Mountain prison inmate whose crimes a judge described as “nothing short of shocking” escaped during an escorted temporary absence in Winnipeg.

Terry Dutko escaped sometime before 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. A warrant for the inmate’s arrest has been issued, Correctional Services of Canada said.

The Winnipeg man was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison after a violent carjacking and high-speed chase in a stolen police cruiser in 2019.

“It’s a miracle no one was killed,” provincial court Judge Stacy Cawley said while sentencing Dutko in September 2020. He pleaded guilty that summer to numerous offences, including robbery, aggravated assault and flight from police. He also admitted to a string of gas bar and convenience store robberies.

Dutko was wanted in connection with a pursuit in a stolen vehicle three months earlier when officers in the Winnipeg police helicopter spotted a stolen Jeep Cherokee in the area of McGregor Street and Jarvis Avenue early on June 27. Police on the ground followed the vehicle as it headed west.

Dutko, armed with a metal bar, and a co-accused later forced three Quebec residents from their car at a Headingley truck stop before speeding away in another stolen vehicle. One of the victims, a 75-year-old man, suffered a concussion and a broken arm after he became caught in the car door and was dragged several feet before falling to the ground.

Dutko, on foot after the latest stolen vehicle was boxed in, later stole an unoccupied police cruiser and struck an officer with the vehicle before heading west on the Trans-Canada Highway. He was arrested outside a Portage la Prairie truck stop.

Dutko, who had a record for automobile theft, was banned from driving at the time of his arrest.

“I want to apologize to everyone I victimized,” he said in court after pleading guilty in July 2020, blaming his actions on a “crippling” addiction to methamphetamine. “They did not deserve that. They did nothing wrong.”

Cawley noted while sentencing Dutko that he had participated in a variety of rehabilitative programs while in jail and appeared sincerely committed to change.

“He knows the only way out for him is to make lasting and permanent changes,” she said.

Dutko is described as 24 years old, 5-11 in height, about 241 pounds, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He has tattoos on both sides of his neck, and on his right hand and right arm.

Corrections officials are asking anyone who knows where Dutko is to call the Winnipeg Police Service.

“CSC will investigate the circumstances of this incident and is working with the police to locate the offender as quickly as possible,” a news release posted online early Thursday states.

“CSC has given the police all of the information available to help arrest the inmate.”

Prison inmates are eligible for escorted temporary absences for various reasons, including work, attending programs and medical appointments.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca