From left to right: Braidy Chase Vermette, Tristen Smith. Bottom right: Ricky Favel. Photos courtesy Prince Albert Police Service.
An accused killer is back behind bars in Prince Albert after a daring, well-planned escape last week.
Braidy Vermette, 28, was the subject of a nation-wide manhunt, and had been considered armed and dangerous.
RCMP with the help of Prince Albert Police closed in on him and his girlfriend Tristen Smith early Thursday morning.
Details of the fiery take-down were revealed at a media conference held by the provincial Ministry of Corrections.
Vermette never went far from Prince Albert after he got away from correctional officers on March 30, said Ministry of Corrections spokesman Drew Wilby.
He was holed up in a home in the RM of Buckland, just north of the city.
Around 1 a.m. on Thurdsday, Vermette and Smith were arrested after the house they were in was engulfed in flames.
“The RCMP, working with the Prince Albert Police Service, apprehended Mr. Vermette and his girlfriend as they fled the residence after it had caught fire,” Wilby said. “The good news is Mr. Vermette is now back in the custody of Prince Albert police and no one was injured during the arrest.”
It is not clear how the house caught fire, although it is known the RCMP emergency response team took part in the arrest.
Vermette got away on March 30. Two correctional officers transported him to hospital for treatment of a self-inflicted wound to his arms. In the parking lot, the guards were ambushed by two masked men who were armed with a gun and pepper spray.
The unarmed guards were pepper sprayed, and Vermette made his escape.
Wilby says an investigation into how that happened reveals he had a lot of help.
“I will confirm, we know it was premeditated, both from the inside by inmates on the remand unit with Vermette, and on the outside. The question is how long that goes back, so we continue to look at the tapes and the intelligence we have and we will also continue to investigate the reason why there was no police escort chosen at the time Vermette was moved.”
Vermette is now being held at the Prince Albert Penitentiary, rather than the remand unit.
Police are still looking for 30-year-old Ricky Favel. He is believed to be one of the two men who helped Vermette escape last week.
Vermette is facing first-degree murder charges in connection with last year’s death of Troy Napope.
He will now be facing additional charges of escape. Smith had been wanted on an outstanding warrant. She may now be facing additional charges as well.
The Ministry of Corrections has also been asked to conduct an outside review of the way the arrests were handled.