Man who kidnapped girl from Shellbrook farm released from jail

Linden David Jessie Bird of Montreal Lake First Nation was sentenced to seven years in prison, but will be released early. Dec 30, 2010.

A man who kidnapped a little girl from a farm near Shellbrook in 2006 has been released from jail.  Parole board documents say 27-year-old Linden Bird was let go on statutory release earlier this month.

Bird was sentenced to seven years in prison after taking an 11-year-old girl from a Shellbrook farm house on a cold January night, and then dumping her in a rural area near Canwood.

Parole board documents state the girl was bitten and choked to the point of unconsciousness, but she recovered and made her way to safety.

Under statutory release, prisoners are automatically released when they have served two thirds of their sentence.  Conditions of his release include abstaining from alcohol and reporting all relationships with women.