Man who escaped Moose Jaw courthouse faces new charges

After escaping the courthouse in Moose Jaw and evading police for hours, Jamie Munroe is facing two new charges.

Munroe, 20, is now charged with assault, and prison break with violence after allegedly attacking his guard, stealing his cell keys, and running out the back door.

It happened around 9:40 a.m. Tuesday, after Munroe appeared in court to face charges for dangerous driving and possession of a stolen vehicle.

About 15-18 officers, including muncipal police and RCMP, cordoned off the area and combed over several downtown streets until 2:30 p.m. They couldn’t find their suspect and pulled back, keeping a few officers on the perimeter.

Police then received a tip from a witness who believed they saw Munroe and the search continued for several more hours.

“We suspected that he had either entered a garage or a residence in the area,” said Sgt. Cliff Froehlich.

Officers spotted Munroe at about 6:15 p.m. after he left his hiding spot. He was caught after a short foot chase.

Sgt. Froehlich said Munroe has friends in the area where he was found, but it’s unknown if he had contact with them during his escape.

The Moose Jaw Police Service will now look into adding more officers to the courthouse until arrangements can be made to improve security.