NEW GLASGOW, N.S. -- An inmate who escaped from the Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on Friday is back in custody, but questions are still being asked about how he managed to escape.
The 33-year-old from Ontario enjoyed more than 12 hours of freedom before he was picked up by police about 100 kilometres away.
Kevin Edward Clarke-McNeil was already back in custody when officers were spotted climbing around on the roof at the Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in New Glasgow, N.S., on Saturday afternoon.
Clarke-McNeil had been there since December. He is on remand, awaiting trial on a number of charges, including attempted murder and unlawful confinement. Clarke-McNeil was one of 15 inmates at the Central Nova Correctional Facility in Dartmouth who were charged after a stabbing at the Burnside jail on Dec. 2, 2019.
The Nova Scotia Justice Department hasn't revealed how he escaped.
"Not verified, but I did hear this particular person escaped over a fence," said New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks.
The mayor acknowledges many residents were leery about the facility when it opened about five years ago, but until now, there haven't been any problems to speak of.
"This, to my knowledge, is the first time I've heard a concern," she said. "I think there was concern about release of prisoners and where they would be going and things like that, but there hasn't been too much around that since the prison has opened."
Billed by the government as a "state-of-the-art direct supervision facility," the jail can hold about 200 offenders and has a staff of about 140.
Clarke-McNeil got away sometime between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Friday.
RCMP tweeted about it about two hours later and a press release went out around 11 p.m. The provincial emergency alert system was activated just before midnight.
"Serious situation," said Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative leader Tim Houston. "It certainly caused a lot of anxiety in the community for sure."
Houston says he's glad the system was activated, but the timing could have been better.
"The quicker the better," Houston said. "I understand there was a couple of hours in between, and that there was a press release, possibly in between as well, so when these things happen, the community should be made aware, and they should be certainly made aware as soon as possible."
Clarke-McNeil was picked up by the Mounties just before 10 a.m. Saturday, east of Sheet Harbour and about an hour's drive from the jail.
It was a worrisome time for the people living near the correctional facility.
How he got there is part of an ongoing review of the incident, according to the Justice Department.
He is expected to face additional charges.
The Nova Scotia Justice Department declined a CTV News request for an interview.
In a statement, a spokesperson says there is both a criminal investigation and a correctional services internal review underway.
