Inmate’s escape from New Brunswick jail was preventable: internal review

Todd John Lewis is pictured. Lewis escaped from the Southeast Regional Correctional Centre in Shediac, N.B., on Feb. 12. (New Brunswick RCMP)

An internal review into how an inmate escaped from a New Brunswick jail in February has found the incident was preventable and the inmate went undetected for several hours.

The RCMP said Todd John Lewis, 35, jumped the fence and escaped from the Southeast Regional Correctional Centre just before 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 12.

It was previously reported that police weren’t alerted to the situation until 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 13.

Lewis was on the run for more than a month. He was eventually arrested in Moncton, N.B., on March 23.

The Department of Justice and Public Safety has completed its internal review, which examined the circumstances surrounding Lewis’s escape, and identified areas where additional safeguards could be put in place.

The department said the findings of the review “led to corrective action on a small number of people,” but did not elaborate.

“The vast majority of correctional staff across the province carry out their duties with professionalism and dedication,” said Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin in a news release Friday.

“Here, a few people fell short of minimum expectations, and the department has addressed that fact.”

The department says it has enhanced physical security measures at the correctional facility and amended staff procedures and protocols. It’s also extended similar measures to other correctional centres in the province.

“Public safety is our top priority,” said Gauvin. “While escapes from our provincial facilities are extremely rare, we take incidents like this very seriously. This review allowed us to identify improvements and take action to reduce the risk of this happening again.”

Meanwhile, Lewis is facing numerous charges, including:

• escaping lawful custody
• breaching probation
• failing to appear in court
• wilfully obstructing a police officer
• several weapons-related offences

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Derek Haggett

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