COWANSVILLE, Que. – A corrections employee was taken hostage by an inmate and then freed after a nine-hour ordeal Tuesday at a federal prison in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
The inmate barricaded himself in a room in the Cowansville penitentiary, locking himself there with the worker who was in the area with him.
Correctional Service of Canada said nobody was injured in the incident at the medium-security prison, which holds 410 male inmates.
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A negotiating team was called in soon after the incident began, around 10:45 AM local time, and talks lasted more than nine hours before a resolution in the evening.
The man implicated in the hostage-taking will remain in the custody of the institution, said corrections spokesman Serge Abergel. There was no immediate word on what the man demanded, or on the conditions that led to the standoff being resolved.
Abergel would not confirm earlier reports that the hostage was female.
The accused hostage-taker could face new charges. The corrections service said more details of the case would be made available.
Once guards became aware of the incident Tuesday morning, the rest of the inmates were placed in lockdown in their cells to limit movement throughout the institution.
Provincial police were called in, and will lead an investigation into the case.
Officials said the hostage’s family had been informed of the situation during the day.
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