A female corrections officer was allegedly taken hostage by a convicted murderer during a trip to Drumheller Institution on Tuesday night, say police.
The officer, by herself, was escorting Donald Junior Fowler, 32, back to the federal jail after he was given a day pass to visit his family in Buck Lake, 15 minutes southeast of Drayton Valley. Fowler was convicted of second-degree murder on July 2, 1997.
Three Hills RCMP say that the inmate faked being sick and then allegedly overpowered the corrections officer by choking her with his hands and a seatbelt. The inmate tied up the officer and put her in the back seat of the van.
The inmate was not handcuffed or secured in any way, say police.
The hostage-taking began a little more than halfway along the trip on Hwy 42 and west of Hwy 21, southeast of Red Deer.
Sgt. Joe Sangster of Three Hills RCMP said the inmate managed to tie the officer up with her shirt.
“He took off her shirt, she had other clothing on from what I understand,” Sangster said on Wednesday morning.
The inmate then allegedly got behind the wheel and took off towards Hwy 587 and then once he reached Range Road 252 and Hwy 587, he let her go.
Shortly after he took off, he was seen to be driving aggressively and erratically, said Sangster.
Sangster said the corrections officer had a phone with her, so was able to call 911 immediately. Three Hills RCMP were dispatched shortly after 6:10 p.m. and over the ensuing minutes, police from several detachments searched for Fowler.
Sangster said an all-points bulletin for police was issued in the hunt for the inmate.
The corrections officer was taken to Three Hills Health Centre, where she was treated and released with minor injuries. Sangster said the woman suffered bruising and minor abrasions.
About 45 minutes after the inmate had taken off in the van, he was found quietly parked on the side of the road, Sangster said.
A lone Mountie from Olds spotted the van near Range Road 272 and Hwy 587, between Huxley and Olds.
He could tell the vehicle had no markings, other than numbers on the side to indicate it belonged to Correctional Services of Canada.
Sangster said the RCMP officer saw that the man was still inside the van.
“He ordered him by gunpoint and (the inmate) complied with the RCMP member’s demands,” said Sangster. “I think in any incident of something like this, there is a degree of adrenalin rush because you don’t know what’s going to happen. But we deal with that stuff every day.”
Sangster said he’s not sure where the inmate planned to go, other than his intent “was to escape.”
“It doesn’t seem rational to us that when you locate the vehicle and he’s just sitting there and he complies with all our demands,” he added. “It’s a little strange.”
No accomplices were involved, Sangster said.
“I’ve gone through some scary things in 22 years of policing so I would imagine that she’s having some emotional issues big time,” he said of the corrections officer.
Sangster praised RCMP, particularly the officer from Olds, for bringing the incident to a safe resolution.
Fowler was being held in police custody in Olds as of Wednesday morning.
Sangster said the inmate was slated to be transferred to Edmonton Institution, a federal maximum security institution.
Fowler will be in Drumheller provincial court on Friday on charges of escaping lawful custody, assaulting a peace office, kidnapping, forcible confinement, theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving.
Sangster said he isn’t sure why a lone officer was transporting a convicted murderer and added that’s a question for Correctional Service of Canada to answer. “Me as a policeman and me as a taxpayer wonders the same thing,” he said.
When asked whether protocols were followed, Dawn Bancroft of Drumheller Institution said “this incident is under investigation” so specifics couldn’t be discussed.
“However, any temporary absence from the institution is based on policies and guidelines,” said Bancroft, chief of administrative services and media relations officer. “It depends on security level. So they don’t go unless they are following the policy.”
Bancroft said she couldn’t comment on whether the inmate was deemed a low security risk because of the investigation that’s underway.
She was uncertain as to how long the correctional officer had worked at the jail.
Correctional Services of Canada supports correctional officers with programs like critical incident stress debriefing, Bancroft added.
“We train staff for these kinds of situations,” Bancroft said. “At this point, we’re investigating, evaluating all the policies to ensure that everything was done to procedure.”
Bancroft had no details on the inmate’s crime, other than to say he was a first-time federal offender serving an indeterminate sentence of second-degree murder and possession of a substance.
Drumheller Institution houses 508 medium-security and 68 minimum-security inmates.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com