RCMP nab escaped prisoner near Hope

A fugitive who escaped from a pre-trial centre in Port Coquitlam, B.C.,by posing as another inmate bought a newspaper to read about his exploits on Friday.

But he'll have to finish reading the story behind bars.

Dean Sykes,39,offered no resistance when a car he was driving was pulled over by RCMP officers on Highway 1near Hope early Friday morning,Const. Tara Harrington of the Fraser Valley RCMP said.

Harrington said Sykesstopped at a market in Bridal Falls early Friday morning to pick up a paper, andjoked to the clerk that he looked like the man pictured on the front page.

The clerk agreed and then phoned policeafterSykes left the store.

Sykes was mistakenly released from custody when he attended the Port Coquitlam provincialcourt on Aug. 5, posing as another inmate, Timothy Broadbent, 42.

Sykes, still pretending he was Broadbent, was returned to theNorth Fraser Pretrial Centre, where he was subsequently released from custody.

Sykes attempted to use Broadbent's IDwhen he was arrested by Hope RCMP, Harrington said.

He was arrested on a charge of escaping lawful custodyand is being held at the Hope RCMP detachment.

Broadbent was in court again today on a new charge: assisting in Sykes's escape. The original charges that had him in court on Aug. 5 andAug. 7 were mischief and possession of a break-in tool. He was represented on those days by duty counsel, who would never have seen him before, whichcould explain why court staff didn't realize Sykes had taken his place.

Sykes's escape was the second from the facility in less than a year.

Dressed as a janitor, kidnapper Omid Tahvili walked away fromthe centre on Nov. 15 with the help of prison guard Edwin Ticne, who later pleaded guilty to his role in that escape.