By Thia James

Escaped killer turned in by Saskatoon shelter staff

Jan 9, 2015 | 3:58 PM

It was the eagle eye of a staff member of a Saskatoon street organization that helped nab escaped murderer Kevin Michael Sheets on Thursday.

The manager of the shelter in the 200 block of 20th Street East declined a full interview, but confirmed that one of her “awesome” staff members was the one to call the Saskatoon Police Service. The woman saw Sheets’ photo on the Saskatoon StarPhoenix website and recognized him when he entered the building.

“I don’t think anything gets past her,” the manager told paNOW on Friday. She called this a “rare case” for them, and they want their organization to remain a “safe haven” or to discourage people from coming to them for help. She did not want the shelter’s name connected to the incident.

“This is a very rare case where the person has a history of violence that we would contact [the police.] We don’t hide criminals by any means, but we do, you know, we want this to be somewhere where everyone can come.”

Sheets, 47, had escaped from the minimum security unit at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary sometime on Wednesday. During the 8:55 p.m. inmate check, he was ‘unaccounted for.’ Sheets somehow made his way to the shelter in Saskatoon and he was turned in when he was sighted by the employee. When the police arrived, they took him into custody without incident, according to a statement from the Saskatoon Police Service.

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After his arrest, Sheets was held in detention by the Saskatoon police until arrangements were made to return him to the prison.

Jeff Campbell, regional communications manager with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) isn’t able to say what will happen with Sheets from there.

Under the Privacy Act, he isn’t able to discuss the specifics of an offender’s case.

“In the case of an escape, [it] is something that we take very seriously. We review the circumstances surrounding an escape and we take actions,” he said.

He said the investigation will look at who was present at the time of the escape, as well as what actually happened, based on interviews. “Our key goal down the road is to maintain the public[‘s]safety,” he added.

As to whether security at the institution has been increased in the wake of Sheets’ escape, Campbell said they don’t have their response finalized.

“But that might be one of the issues that’s raised in the course of the investigation.”

And when it comes to concerns that other offenders may try to copy Sheets and try to leave the penitentiary, he said their officers are “very diligent” in managing their operations.

“Again, it may be an issue where they’re going to have a look at the population and see if there’s any net changes that they’ve noticed, in order to maintain that public safety.”

The look at net changes will include a look at changes in the behaviour of the inmates, as well as the impact of the incident on the institution and the issues brought up by the review process.

Kevin Michael Sheets is now once again in the CSC’s custody, but Campbell could not comment on whether that means he was returned to the Saskatchewan Penitentiary or taken to another facility.

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames