Accused murderer Tyler Noel charged with escaping custody
Noel, 19, of Moncton is awaiting trial in 2015 death of Moncton teen Baylee Wylie
Accused murderer Tyler Noel has been charged with escaping lawful custody.
Police reported earlier that an inmate escaped from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Friday morning, but was quickly apprehended following a foot chase.
Noel, 19, appeared in Saint John provincial court on Friday afternoon to face the charge.
He is scheduled to return to court on March 3 to elect whether he wants to be tried by judge and jury, or judge alone, and to enter a plea.
Noel has been in custody for more than a year, awaiting his trial in October on charges of first-degree murder and arson in connection with the death of Moncton teen Baylee Wylie in 2015.
The body of Wylie, 18, was found on Dec. 17, 2015 in a burned-out triplex on Sumac Street in Moncton. He had been bound in plastic wrap, severely beaten while tied to a chair, and stabbed up to 200 times.
Noel was arrested in Petitcodiac on Jan. 9, 2016, after a Canada-wide warrant was issued for him and his co-accused Marissa Shephard.
Shephard, 21, is also charged with first-degree murder and arson in connection with Wylie's death. She is scheduled to have a preliminary inquiry start on May 1 but is still trying to secure a lawyer through legal aid. Her next scheduled court appearance is Feb. 22.
Devin Morningstar, 19, was sentenced last month to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 25 years after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and arson in Wylie's death.
Apprehended within 12 minutes
They "were advised that an inmate had escaped and was being pursued on foot by correctional staff," he said.
At 10:55 a.m., police and jail staff "acting together" were able to recapture the inmate, said Breen.
The accused was taken into custody and was being held at the police station lockup at Peel Plaza.
'Breach' to be reviewed
CBC News requested an interview with the jail superintendent, Sheldon Currie, but the woman at the front desk directed all inquiries to the Department of Public Safety.
Safety and security of staff, offenders and the public is our top priority.- Paul Bradley, Public Safety
"We can confirm that there was an escape at SJRCC this morning," department spokesman Paul Bradley stated in an email to CBC News.
"Every breach is subject to an extensive internal review to ensure that procedures and policies were correctly followed, and to minimize the risk of reoccurrence," said Bradley.
"Recommendations are provided and actioned in these reviews."
It's unclear how long the review will take, but the findings will not be released, said Bradley. "These reviews are internal, therefore they will not be made public."
Escapes are rare, he said.
"Safety and security of staff, offenders and the public is our top priority," he said.
Not first escape at jail
The facility is located on Old Black River Road and is surrounded by woods.
In August 2013, Bradley Saia, 22, escaped the day before he was scheduled to appear in court for a sentencing hearing in connection with a fatal home invasion.
He too was quickly recaptured, following a brief foot chase by police and correctional officers.
They found him shirtless and barefoot in the nearby McAllister Industrial Park, suffering lacerations to his chest and feet from jumping the razor-wire fence surrounding the jail and running through a wooded area.
Saia was subsequently sentenced to 11 years in prison for forcible entry, stealing personal property while armed with a weapon, wearing a mask while committing an indictable offence and escaping lawful custody.
With files from Rachel Cave