A prisoner who walked free from the Whangarei courthouse yesterday after allegedly posing as another man was caught at midnight.
Two investigations have been launched into the incident.
Luke Edmonds, 23, was in police custody on charges of arson, burglary, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and aggravated wounding.
He had been taken downstairs
to holding cells under the courthouse after appearing before Judge Arthur Tompkins.
Acting Whangarei police area controller Inspector Mark Rusbatch said Edmonds asked to use a toilet near the cells, and was left alone to do so.
Mr Rusbatch said Edmonds later answered to another prisoner's name when that prisoner was called to be bailed.
Edmonds allegedly signed that prisoner's bail bond and walked out of the courthouse about 3pm yesterday.
However, this morning a police communications spokeswoman said Edmonds was apprehended in Ruakaka, 29km southeast of Whangarei, at midnight.
A Police Complaints Authority investigation would look into the police procedures surrounding Edmonds' departure from the cells. A police investigation was looking into the allegation that Edmonds had escaped from police custody.
It was understood a court staff member and a police officer would have been involved in bailing Edmonds and escorting him from the courthouse.
Whangarei District Court criminal manager Trish Fowke was satisfied court staff had followed procedures set by the Department for Courts.
"There wasn't anything else we could have done," Mrs Fowke said.
She said when prisoners were in the courthouse cells they were under police supervision.
Whangarei police Sergeant Murray Stapp earlier said Edmonds was dangerous and should not be approached.
Mr Rusbatch said Edmonds was "well known to a lot of people in Northland".
Edmonds had been arrested after a man was allegedly beaten up when going to help a driver in a Ruakaka car crash on July 3.
The man had offered help at a crash outside his Ruakaka house but the driver allegedly attacked him before setting fire to the car and running away.
At the time, Whangarei police Detective Sergeant Chris Scahill said the attack was unprovoked and the car had been stolen.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)
