INNISFAIL – A former Bowden Institution employee has been charged with helping an inmate escape.
Innisfail RCMP announced on Sept. 21 that its General Investigation Section finished a 19-month investigation into the escape of an inmate from Bowden Institution in 2015.
Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk said an investigation into the details surrounding the 2015 escape was launched after information was forwarded to police from Corrections Canada.
Matechuk said Sylvain Martin escaped the custody of the Bowden Institution on April 16, 2015 from the minimum-security annex. He was arrested on a Canada-wide warrant in Quebec and returned to the custody of Corrections Canada in the fall of 2015.
The investigation revealed that a Bowden Institution employee, Peter Edgar, had developed an inappropriate financial relationship with Martin while Martin was incarcerated at the institution, said Matechuk.
Edgar, 61, of Red Deer County, is charged with two counts of permitting or assisting escape contrary to section 146 of the Criminal Code. He is scheduled to appear in Red Deer court on Oct. 25.
Matechuk said Edgar is no longer employed by Corrections Canada.
