Police search for inmate who walked away from work crew in Pitt Meadows

Police are searching for an inmate who walked away from a supervised work crew in Pitt Meadows on Wednesday.

Officers are investigating in the area of Southgate Road and Airport Way after they received a report from Fraser Regional Correctional Centre that inmate Michael Lund walked away from an off-site work detail.

“Really he could be anywhere,” said Ridge Meadows RCMP Sgt. Brenda Gresiuk.

Lund, who is currently serving a 12-month sentence for property-related crimes, is described as a 42-year-old Caucasian male, six-foot-two, 190 pounds with short brown hair, brown eyes and facial stubble.

At the time he left the work crew, he was wearing correctional attire consisting of a red shirt, red pants and red jacket.

Police said schools in the area were notified of the incident but were not locked down.

Gresiuk said that while Lund isn’t serving time for a violent crime, people are being asked to keep their distance if they see him.

“We always advise in these circumstances to err on the side of caution and to call 911 immediately, not to approach the person,” she said.

“He’s currently serving a 12-month sentence for property-related crime, and that’s the lion’s share that’s basically what his criminal history is relating to.”

In April, an 83-year-old inmate escaped the minimum-security unit of the Mission Institution on April 25. He was apprehended by Mission RCMP later that day.

-With files from Michelle Morton