An inmate has escaped custody while being escorted to a Regina hospital.
At approximately 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 26, 46-year-old Rodger Kenneth King made his escape while on medical escort to the Regina General Hospital. King was being held on remand at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre for several serious charges, including firearms related offenses, possession of a controlled substance and breaches of probation.
“My understanding is the vehicle had pulled up and he was able to escape before actually entering the hospital,” Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice spokesperson Drew Wilby told CTV Regina. “That’s all under investigation at this time.”
Siarra Fremont, whose apartment building is a short walk from the hospital, believes her boyfriend inadvertently aided the escaped inmate on Wednesday afternoon.
“We didn’t realize that he was in inmate,” she told CTV Regina. “We just thought he got beat up, because he looked like he did. So (my boyfriend) just gave him a glass of water and that was about it.”
Once they realized that the injured man could have been King, Fremont’s boyfriend contacted police.
“He was pretty scared,” she said. “He was like, ‘Oh. I actually helped somebody I probably shouldn’t have.’”
Other people in the area expressed concern about the escape. Mariel Harvey, who also lives near the hospital, said she stayed inside Wednesday night.
“For the most part I feel relatively safe, but there (are) incidents like this all the time,” Harvey said. “And I do worry. I have a child as well… I have a big guard dog and she’s more effective than, well, anything really.”
King is described as 5’10” and 175 lbs. with tattoos on his left arm, right shoulder and right forearm. Anyone who has seen him or has information on his whereabouts is being urged to call their local police service or 911.
“None of us live in a bubble or a vacuum, and so he will have friends and family perhaps and acquaintances in the city,” Regina police spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich told CTV Regina. “We’re hopeful that somewhere in his travels, someone will see him and contact us and then he can be safely apprehended and returned to custody.”
With a report from CTV Regina’s Cally Stephanow
