One escaped inmate serving time for murder: Sask. RCMP

REGINA – One of the men who escaped a minimum security prison in Saskatchewan over the weekend was in jail for murder, but the RCMP say they couldn’t tell people that. Conrad Slippery, 31, and 25-year-old Anthony Ernest were serving time at the Willow Cree Healing Lodge at Duck Lake, about 60 kilometres north of Saskatoon.

It’s a minimum security facility where the inmates live in residential houses.

Ernest was serving six years for several charges including robbery, use of a firearm, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

Slippery was serving a life-sentence for second-degree murder and RCMP say he had been transferred to the Willow Cree facility for “good behaviour.”

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The two were last seen at the facility Saturday afternoon and by Sunday both were back in custody.

Both were arrested the next day on the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation, a few kilometres from the Willow Cree facility. Ernest was arrested in the early morning, and Slippery in the afternoon.

They were taken to Saskatoon where they will be charged with escaping lawful custody, and being unlawfully at large.

While the two were on the loose, RCMP did not say why they were in jail.

Sgt. Craig Cleary says police have some discretionary power when there may be a safety risk. But he said there was no immediate danger to the public, so “based on that, we weren’t in a position to breach the Privacy Act.”

Correctional Service Canada had the details on both men’s convictions in a release sent out Saturday.

Cleary said the primary concern was to locate the men. The RCMP did add a warning not to approach the two, but Cleary said that was more because they were escaped convicts.