Todd John Lewis is now facing two additional charges following recent developments on Tuesday morning.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in New Brunswick disclosed that Lewis, aged 36, managed to escape from the Southeast Regional Correctional Centre in Shediac on February 12 and remained at large for nearly six weeks before authorities apprehended him in Moncton on March 23.
Appearing remotely in a Moncton provincial court session, Judge Claude Haché formally presented the two fresh charges to Lewis.
These charges involve his failure to appear at a scheduled court hearing on February 27 and his deliberate obstruction of a police officer during the arrest on March 23. The officer involved in the arrest was identified as Constable Stephane Blinn from the Codiac RCMP.
A total of 13 charges have been laid against a man who police say escaped from the Shediac jail last month.
With these new charges, Lewis’s total count now stands at 13, including two charges announced post his March arrest: escaping from lawful custody and violating a probation order related to completing a domestic violence intervention program. He is also facing nine previous charges linked to weapons-related offenses.
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At the time of the escape, Lewis was in custody at the Shediac jail due to the weapons offenses. It is alleged by the RCMP that he fled by scaling a fence in the jail’s compound.
The province’s Minister of Public Safety informed CBC News that modifications have been made in the jail’s yard since the incident to prevent any future escape attempts. Minister Robert Gauvin also mentioned an upcoming “after action review” to investigate the escape, adding that any findings will be disclosed to the public.
During his virtual appearance from the correctional facility on Tuesday, Lewis revealed that he had not yet initiated the process for applying for legal aid when asked by the judge about the status of his application.
Responding to the judge’s inquiry about his intentions regarding the new charges, Lewis expressed his inclination to “plead guilty to them, I guess.”