Toronto man facing charges following failed package drop at Collins Bay Penitentiary

Kingston police and Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) staff apprehended a Toronto man for trespassing and behaving suspiciously the night after a failed package drop at Collins Bay Penitentiary.

Around 8:30 p.m. on April 1, CSC staff noticed a man dressed in black throwing a package over the penitentiary’s wall. Police say the man fled south towards Front Road.

Penitentiary staff were able to intercept the package. They then called in Kingston police to investigate. Although the canine unit was brought out to track the man, he was not found that evening.

The next evening, around 9:30 p.m., a man dressed in black was seen approaching the southeast corner of the institution. CSC staff called out to him to stop, and although he initially complied, police say the man ran as staff approached him.

Kingston police were called in, including members of their emergency response unit, who used infrared technology to help find the man in the dark.

Police say the man was found in the marshy fields behind the penitentiary close to Front Road.

1:47 OPP catch 2 Mississauga men trying to fly contraband into Collins Bay Institution in Kingston

Police did not find a package on the man, and are still uncertain if the man they arrested was the same one who threw the package over the wall at Collins Bay the night before. That investigation is ongoing, Kingston police said.

Nevertheless, the man apprehended the second night was charged with mischief under $5,000 by interfering with the lawful operation of the institution, and trespassing on penitentiary property.