THE CANADIAN PRESS

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REGINA - One of five prisoners missing after an escape from the Regina Correctional Centre nearly a week ago was recaptured late Friday night.

James Joseph Pewean, 25, was taken into custody without incident after police say their investigation led them to a residence in the Assiniboine Place neighbourhood of Regina. Additional charges against Pewean are pending.

He had been one of six inmates who broke out of the prison on Aug. 24. One was quickly apprehended but Pewean vanished along with Ryan John Agecoutay, 25; Preston Clarence Buffalocalf, 22; Cody Dillon Keenatch, 19; and Daniel Richard Wolfe, 32.

Provincial authorities have been scrambling to explain how the six prisoners broke out of a secure unit, why it took so long to notify the public, and what actions were taken when senior jail officials were tipped about a possible escape.

Corrections Minister Darryl Hickie said the inmates busted through a brick wall in the jail.

Once outside, the prisoners breached a security fence. There was no hole in the fence, said Hickie, but he could not confirm reports that the inmates had tossed a blanket over the barrier. A weapons cache was later found in the unit.

Pewean is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 22 on charges of murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault.

He was charged after Regina police were called to a stabbing in the city's troubled north-central neighbourhood, where they found the body of Wilton James Lavallee, 19. Three other people were hurt in the incident.

Wolfe, who is from The Pas, Man., is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder after a violent home invasion in Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask., in 2007.

At the time, police said two perpetrators forced their way into a home and began shooting. Marvin Arnault, 51, and Michael Itittakoose, 24, were both killed in the attack. Three other people were seriously injured.

No date has been set for Wolfe's trial.

Buffalocalf and several others were charged with murder after Vincent Morrisseau-Poorman was shot at a home in Fort Qu'Appelle in February 2007.

He is scheduled to go to trial Nov. 3.

Agecoutay, who court records say also goes by the last name Bellegarde, is charged with aggravated assault. The charges were laid after a man was found seriously injured in north-central Regina in April 2007.

Police consider Keenatch unlawfully at large.

Wolfe and Agecoutay have federal prison records and National Parole Board documents paint them in a dark, violent light.

The documents suggest Agecoutay may suffer from schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders while noting Wolfe repeatedly had his prison release revoked for failing to abide by certain conditions, including staying away from known gang members.

The reports list both men as members of a street gang. Wolfe, who is from The Pas, Man., is further described as an "influential" and long-term gang member.

The name of the gang is deleted in the document, but several news reports have said it was the Indian Posse, a violent Western street gang.

RCMP have warned that the missing prisoners should be considered dangerous and possibly armed - prompting questions as to why the public wasn't alerted until more than 14 hours later after the escape.

Authorities have said they wanted to make sure the information they had was correct before getting it out the public.

They followed protocol by locking down the jail and notifying the RCMP of the escape, said Hickie. While the manhunt continued, Hickie moved Tuesday to implement a policy to alert the public right away if there is an escape from any corrections centre.

It's not the first time inmates have escaped from the Regina jail.

In 2003, five inmates escaped from the facility by digging a hole in the roof of an auditorium. Two other inmates clawed their way through a brick shower room wall to break out. But officials stress that those escapes took place in a much older section of the jail that is being decommissioned.

On Friday, the province ordered a search of all secure facilities for weapons, drugs, illegal materials and for potential structural problems that could aid future escapes.