Provincial Justice officials say a 72-year-old male inmate was mistakenly released from custody
Pictou Court House (Nova Scotia Government Photo)
by Sheriff Services at around 1 p.m. on Tuesday following an appearance in Pictou Provincial Court. However, the man is now back in jail. He returned to the Northeast Correctional Facility near New Glasgow and was taken into custody without incident at around 10 Wednesday morning.
He was supposed to be returned to the correctional centre on an existing remand warrant on sexual assault charges.
The provincial Justice Department is investigating
The revelation today has drawn criticism from Conservative Pictou West MLA Karla MacFarlane, who wants to know why local residents weren’t notified until a day after the man was back in custody. MacFarlane says it’s a matter of public safety. She says the government should let the public know when someone who is in custody is mistakenly released or escapes.