Sask gov't will be warned of jail breaks sooner after five escape

The provincial government said that effective immediately, the public will be alerted right away if there is an escape from any corrections centre.

"People have the right to know if offenders are unlawfully at large, whether they are potentially dangerous or not," said Darryl Hickie, Saskatchewan's Minister of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing.

"We're going to let media know right after the police are notified."

Provincial authorities have been scrambling to explain how six prisoners, including some facing murder charges, escaped on Sunday. All are charged in different incidents. One inmate was quickly apprehended.

While the search is underway for the remaining five, questions were being asked about why it took until Monday afternoon for authorities to warn the public that these men were dangerous and possibly armed.

"Everybody did their job according to proper procedural policy, direction and guidelines, at both my ministry and within the RCMP," said Hickie. "Can we improve upon that? Absolutely."

Among those concerned about the delay was a woman who witnessed a violent home invasion in Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask., in 2007. One of the men who escaped jail, Daniel Richard Wolfe, was charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder after the alleged attack.

The woman, who didn't want to be identified, said she was upset that it took so long to learn of the escape. The woman said she learned about the escape from a cousin who heard about it on the news.

"I'm angry that they escaped and that they didn't let the public know," said the woman in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"No one from the police called me at all."

The woman said she's not scared that the accused will come after her, but her family feels differently.

"My family is afraid for me," she said. "They tell me be careful, to watch. I'm going on with my life, going for coffee, meeting with my friends."

Hickie said the new policy will require notification in the shortest time possible.

However, he was still unable to provide details of how the prisoners escaped, saying it's still under investigation. The breakout took place in a section of the jail built in the 1960s.

RCMP Sgt. Doug Coleman defended the actions taken by officers.

"They were definitely responding to a situation that was far from normal," Coleman told reporters at RCMP headquarters in Regina.

"They were certainly keeping the public's interest in mind as they worked and scoured the countryside during the night. We also had the police service dog with them and they scoured the entire countryside in doing what they could to find these people," he said.

On Tuesday, the RCMP said they were getting tips from the public about the prisoners, but nothing that has led to an arrest.

"We're getting various types of information and certainly sightings, it would be safe to say that we're getting information like that," said Coleman.

"We'll just see where those leads take us."

There was no ground or aerial search underway because there wasn't "any concrete information" as to the location of the escapees, according to the RCMP. The Mounties also said they're contacting known associates and family members of the wanted men.

The five being sought are Ryan John Agecoutay, 25; Preston Clarence Buffalocalf, 22; Cody Dillon Keenatch, 19; James Joseph Pewean, 25, and Wolfe, 32.

Courthouse staff in Regina confirmed that three men - Buffalocalf, Pewean and Wolfe - are charged with murder and Agecoutay is facing a charge of aggravated assault.

A trial date of Sept. 22 has been set for Pewean, while Buffalocalf is slated to go to trial Nov. 3.

Police consider Keenatch unlawfully at large.

Gang expert Michael Chettleburgh, author of the book "Young Thugs: Inside the Dangerous World of Canadian Street Gangs", said he doesn't think witnesses about to testify against the escapees are in danger.

At the time of the Fort Qu'Appelle home invasion, RCMP said they had information to suggest that people involved had gang affiliations but the shooting was not gang related. Witnesses at the time of the shooting said they heard the shooters make reference to the IP, short for the Indian Posse, a violent street gang.

"If they are members of Indian Posse and they were trying to intimidate witnesses in any upcoming trials, they could have done that while inside prison through their existing network of gang members on the outside," Chettleburgh said.

He added their likely agenda in busting out of the correctional centre is to simply avoid trial and possible prison time.

Because a group of six initially escaped, not just one individual, they likely had a detailed plan in place, said Chettleburgh. He suggested they're likely hiding somewhere with someone they know.

"I think they would have known where they were going before they left," he said.

- With files from Chris Purdy in Saskatoon