An inmate who escaped from the Milner Ridge Correctional Centre Wednesday evening has been arrested following an approximately 14-hour manhunt. RCMP said they were notified at 9 p.m. Wednesday that an inmate had escaped the provincial jail, located about 70 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. A corrections officer last saw him walking northeast into a wooded area, Mounties said. Justin Paul, 44, was identified as the escapee. Court records show Paul faces several outstanding charges, including assault, theft and firearms-related offences. A search was launched with the assistance of RCMP police dog services and drone operators. Roadblocks were also put in place as the search continued overnight. RCMP said Paul was located at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday in about 16 kilometres from the correctional centre near Highway 11 and Minnewawa Street West in Lac du Bonnet. He has been charged with one count of escaping lawful custody. As part of the 14-hour search, Mounties said officers checked nearby properties and went door-to-door overnight to notify residents. Dan Goulet, who lives a few kilometres from Milner Ridge, said RCMP vehicles pulled into his yard around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. “We had some banging on our window in the front. So, I grabbed my housecoat, went to the front, and by the time I got there, there was two RCMP cruisers. They had spotlights and they were speeding out of our driveway, going down the highway, and going down to the next yard down the road from us,” Goulet said. “I think they were just driving in people’s yard with the spotlights on just to make sure that nothing looked broken into,” he said. He said a neighbour later told him officers had gone door-to-door overnight with a photo of the suspect, warning residents to call 911 if they spotted him. Despite the RCMP’s presence overnight, Goulet said he was “disappointed” that no public alert came sooner. He first learned of the escape through a post in a community social media group claiming nearby roads were closed, but didn’t have confirmation until RCMP posted about it the following morning. In a statement, a provincial spokesperson said a review will be conducted to determine how the inmate was able to escape. Milner Ridge Correctional Centre is a multi-security jail providing minimum, medium and maximum-security custody to adult male inmates. None of the charges against Paul have been proven in court. A court spokesperson said the next court date regarding his outstanding charges is later this month.
