Prisoner escapes during transfer to Iqaluit courthouse

Nunavut RCMP say a prisoner escaped while being escorted to the Iqaluit courthouse from Baffin Correctional Centre Thursday at around 1:30 p.m.

Police say the 27-year-old man escaped his restraints and ran away, while his police guard was escorting him into the courthouse.

"There was an RCMP officer with the prisoner, it's just that there was more than one [prisoner]," says Sgt. Yvonne Niego. "The officer had to stay with the other [prisoners] who were still in custody."

Within 15 minutes of his escape, theV Division's new police dog found the escaped prisoner.

"It was able to track immediately into the outskirts of Iqaluit in the rocks. The dog was able to sniff out the individual."

The man is now facing a charge of escape from lawful custody in addition to the charges he was already facing.