One dangerous escaped inmate captured, the other remains at large

Manitoba RCMP’s all-hands-on deck approach in a manhunt for a pair of inmates who escaped from The Pas Correctional Centre Monday evening seems to have paid off.

RCMP announced Tuesday afternoon that one of the missing inmates, 19-year-old Xander William Tardiff, was located and arrested without incident.

Kelly John Castel, 21, remains at large.

Sgt. Paul Manaigre told 680 CJOB earlier on Tuesday that alert messages were sent out to people in the areas surrounding The Pas and Flin Flon, as well as some nearby communities in northern Saskatchewan, warning residents to lock doors and windows. They’re hoping people in the region can provide them with some tips.

“We have numerous officers in the area, including emergency response team, we have a drone in the area, we have our police dog services,” he said.

“We have the resources in play, now we just need the information to come in that will hopefully lead to a very successful apprehension with no harm to anyone.”

Manaigre said Tardiff had a particularly violent history, including his alleged involvement in a 2021 homicide, but Castel should also not be approached by members of the public.

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“We don’t know if he’s armed, he could have some weapons on him,” Manaigre said.

“You can never be too sure what’s going through their minds prior to being arrested. If they don’t want to go, things could get violent… we don’t really know.”

The duo escaped around 6:45 p.m. Monday. A third escapee was quickly rearrested within hours of the escape.

Mounties say there was a possible break-in to a home in The Pas Monday night and residents should stay alert.

Anyone with information or who spots anything suspicious is asked to call The Pas RCMP at 204-627-6200.

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