Violent offenders caught after escape from Edmonton Institution for Women

Edmonton police have caught two violent offenderswho jumped a fence and escaped fromthe Edmonton Institution for Women Monday night.

Police saidKelsieLaineMarie Mast, 23,andSamanthaFayeToope, 20,were apprehended at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, after a witness in the downtown area recognized the two prisoners and called police.

Officers responded and arrested the women while they were walking down the street near 104th Street and 102nd Avenue.

The two women were in police custody Tuesday nightand before beingreturned to Correctional Service Canada (CSC), Edmonton police said in a news release.

Mast and Toopereportedlyescaped over the east fence of the facility at around 8:40 p.m. Monday, according to police.

A spokesperson for Correctional Service Canada said the two were confirmed missing when staff completed a count of the inmates.

Police officersandthe EPS canine unit immediately responded to the prison at 11151 178th St.in northwest Edmonton, but were not able to findtheprisoners.

Jeff Campbell, regional communications manager with the Prairie region of CSC, said the organizationwill be looking into how the two got out and how to prevent future escapes.

"We're currently going to gather all the information that's available around the escape but we haven't come to any conclusions about exactly what happened," Campbell said Monday.

"Certainlyif there needsto be some adjustments to maintain public safety, we're going to look at those factors as well."

This was the first escape from the Edmonton Institution for Women since Nov. 2, 2014.

Canada's minister ofpublic safety, Ralph Goodale, told reporters in Ottawa earlier Tuesday that "police authorities and CSC are doing everything they can to bringthis situation to a very rapid conclusion."

Both women were described by Edmonton police as violent offenders with a history of weapons offences.

Toopeis serving a two-year sentence for robbery, theft, possession of property obtained by crime anddangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

Mastis serving two years and nine monthsfor drug trafficking, theft, possession of property obtained by crime and mischief.