Police are on the hunt for a killer and robber who escaped from William Head Institution in Metchosin on Sunday night.
The two inmates are considered dangerous and if spotted, should not be approached, said police.
Inmates James Busch, 42, and Zachary Armitage, 30, are thought to have escaped from William Head federal prison at about 6:45 p.m. last night, said West Shore RCMP. Corrections staff discovered the men missing during an 11 p.m. head count. Neither was on parole.
West Shore RCMP “continue to deploy resources to search for the escaped prisoners” with help from an RCMP helicopter. A police dog was used Sunday night.
Correctional Service of Canada is working with police “to locate the inmates as quickly as possible.”
When they are re-apprehended, said Asst. Warden Anthony Baldo, they will not be immediately returning to William Head. Rather, they will be “reviewed for more appropriate security placement,” he said.
Busch was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and assault. He has also served sentences for aggravated assault, escaping lawful custody, and other offences.
Armitage is serving a sentence of almost 14 years for robbery, aggravated assault and other offences.
The men committed serious crimes, but over time, were assessed as low risk to public safety and for escape before coming to William Head, said Baldo.
That designation comes with having completed a regime of interventions and programs to reduce public-safety risk and improve their physical and mental health, with a goal of preparing a plan to return to the community.
“They are low risk, not no risk,” said Baldo.
Baldo, who is assistant warden of interventions, said he “firmly believes” in rehabilitation and that “people can change for the better.”
William Head inmates often volunteer in the community and are granted various levels of parole.
Considering all the work volunteers and staff put into rehabilitation efforts, the escape is disappointing for all concerned, said Baldo.
“These fellows worked very hard to get here and be assessed as a suitable placement here and it’s a shame they made choices to quite frankly shirk that responsibility and violate that trust that staff and volunteers have put into them,” said Baldo.
“There’s a disappointment, as (people) were hoping these guys could turn things around.”
Both had culturally sensitive community supports and programs tailored to First Nations culture, said Baldo.
Police describe Busch as a First Nations male, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds. He has a shaved head and a skull tattoo on his left forearm.
Armitage is also a First Nations male, standing five feet, 10 inches tall, with black, short, trimmed hair. He also has a tattoo with a crown and “No Love” on his right arm.
Police are asking the public to call 911, CrimeStoppers or West Shore RCMP directly with any information that might help in locating and arresting the pair. Police advise against confronting the men.
William Head Institution became a minimum-security prison from a medium-security prison in 2003.
The 200-person-capacity institution sits on 87 acres of federal land at the southern tip of Vancouver Island in Metchosin, about 30 kilometres northwest of Victoria.
William Head has five neighbourhoods of clustered duplexes. Three sides of the property are surrounded by the Juan de Fuca Strait, with an eight-foot fence around the front — recently reduced from about 13 feet. Some minimum-security prisons have no fence, said Baldo.
The fence hasn’t prevented escapes in recent years.
But “in the last few years they were all re-apprehended, so at this point, we have no reason to believe they won’t,” said Baldo.
In February 2015, Michael Douglas Sheets escaped during an escorted absence in downtown Victoria. He was found the next day hiding at a residence on Jubilee Avenue.
In September 2013, two inmates took advantage of darkness and low tide to swim almost 200 metres to a beach on the other side of the rocky outcropping.
Dean Allen Benton was arrested by West Shore RCMP the following morning. Brian Peter Patrick, a convicted murderer, was caught a day later.
That same month, a 61-year-old man with a history of jail breaks went missing and was found hiding on the 32-hectare grounds after two hours.
An inmate who escapes and is caught can face charges and be sent to a higher-security prison.
— Cindy E. Harnett, Times Colonist
