Latest news with #MackenzieHardy
CBC
29-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Alberta woman wrongfully released from jail on fake papers arrested in B.C.
Social Sharing An Alberta woman on the lam for more than a month after being wrongfully released from an Edmonton-area jail has been arrested by B.C. RCMP. Alberta RCMP said in a news release that 24-year-old Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, as well as alleged accomplice, 27-year-old David Joseph Wood, had been arrested in Revelstoke, B.C., on Thursday. Hardy had been charged with several offences, including possession of stolen property, impaired driving, flight from police and driving without insurance or registration and was arrested in March by Red Deer RCMP. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service said earlier this month that Hardy was released after staff at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre, about 40 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, were shown documents saying her charges were stayed — but those papers were false. According to the news release, Red Deer RCMP determined that Wood conspired with Hardy and assisted with the fraudulent release. An arrest warrant was issued for Wood last week. The pair were arrested after a patrol officer with Revelstoke RCMP observed two individuals recognized as Hardy and Wood walking away from a stolen vehicle, police said. In addition to Hardy's outstanding warrants, she has additionally been charged with escaping lawful custody, police said. Wood has been charged with assisting the escape of a prisoner, identify fraud and uttering a forged document. A woman who identifies herself as Hardy posted videos on the social media platform TikTok, where she taunts law enforcement and denied that the papers were fake. Both Hardy and Wood have been taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody, police said. They will be taken back to Alberta will they will be brought before the courts regarding future court dates.
CTV News
23-05-2025
- CTV News
Alberta woman released from jail on fake documents says she'll turn herself in on Friday
Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, who was released from the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre in Alberta with fake documents, says she'll turn herself into police.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
RCMP still on the hunt for Alberta woman mistakenly released from jail
The RCMP confirm officers are still searching for an Alberta woman, Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, 24, who was released from a jail near Edmonton last month because of fraudulent reports that her charges were stayed. In an email, RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff says she was released from Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre on April 25, 2025, and that 'the release itself did not involve the RCMP.' An email from Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services states that 'an individual was released from custody following receipt of documentation that was believed to provide the authority for release.' Doug King, criminal justice professor at Mount Royal University, says in his decades of teaching, he has never heard of a case like this before. 'The idea that someone would use forged documents or falsified documents to get out of remand is outrageous,' he said. 'It takes more than the person to say, 'This is my document.' It takes someone on the outside to have helped her.' There is a warrant out for Hardy's arrest. The RCMP say Hardy faces a number of charges including possession of stolen property, driving while impaired and fleeing a peace officer. Most of these charges stem from March 11, 2025, when she was found in a stolen vehicle by Red Deer RCMP Crime Reduction members. Since Hardy's release, she has surfaced on social media, posting a number of TikTok videos about her ordeal. In one of them, she says, 'apparently with these videos I'm making it's going to get me caught' adding 'the cops are just pissed because I'm one step ahead of them.' In another video, she shares that her boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer and has one year to live. Hardy says her being released from jail was a 'gift from God.' Investigators say her social media posts could be used as evidence and a tool to help find her. 'Every video she makes and posts is going to be seen as an aggravating circumstance to her criminal charge of escaping custody. She is just digging herself a hole,' said King. He believes Hardy will be found and that there will be consequences for her actions. 'Based on the charges she was facing, possession of stolen property, impaired operation, that kind of stuff, she probably went from a six-month stint in incarceration to probably an indictable offence. It's going to get you years now.' The RCMP say Hardy isn't a threat to the public and efforts are being made to extend the Alberta-wide warrant for her arrest to a Canada-wide one. The province added that the matter is also being investigated by the 'ministries of Justice and of Public Safety and Emergency Services'adding 'some immediate procedural changes have already been implemented but cannot be publicly disclosed to ensure their security and integrity are protected.'
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
RCMP still on the hunt for Alberta woman mistakenly released from jail
The RCMP confirm officers are still searching for an Alberta woman, Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, 24, who was released from a jail near Edmonton last month because of fraudulent reports that her charges were stayed. In an email, RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff says she was released from Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre on April 25, 2025, and that 'the release itself did not involve the RCMP.' An email from Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services states that 'an individual was released from custody following receipt of documentation that was believed to provide the authority for release.' Doug King, criminal justice professor at Mount Royal University, says in his decades of teaching, he has never heard of a case like this before. 'The idea that someone would use forged documents or falsified documents to get out of remand is outrageous,' he said. 'It takes more than the person to say, 'This is my document.' It takes someone on the outside to have helped her.' There is a warrant out for Hardy's arrest. The RCMP say Hardy faces a number of charges including possession of stolen property, driving while impaired and fleeing a peace officer. Most of these charges stem from March 11, 2025, when she was found in a stolen vehicle by Red Deer RCMP Crime Reduction members. Since Hardy's release, she has surfaced on social media, posting a number of TikTok videos about her ordeal. In one of them, she says, 'apparently with these videos I'm making it's going to get me caught' adding 'the cops are just pissed because I'm one step ahead of them.' In another video, she shares that her boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer and has one year to live. Hardy says her being released from jail was a 'gift from God.' Investigators say her social media posts could be used as evidence and a tool to help find her. 'Every video she makes and posts is going to be seen as an aggravating circumstance to her criminal charge of escaping custody. She is just digging herself a hole,' said King. He believes Hardy will be found and that there will be consequences for her actions. 'Based on the charges she was facing, possession of stolen property, impaired operation, that kind of stuff, she probably went from a six-month stint in incarceration to probably an indictable offence. It's going to get you years now.' The RCMP say Hardy isn't a threat to the public and efforts are being made to extend the Alberta-wide warrant for her arrest to a Canada-wide one. The province added that the matter is also being investigated by the 'ministries of Justice and of Public Safety and Emergency Services'adding 'some immediate procedural changes have already been implemented but cannot be publicly disclosed to ensure their security and integrity are protected.'
CBC
22-05-2025
- CBC
Police search for Alberta woman wrongfully released from a jail on fake papers
An Alberta woman is on the lam after Crown prosecutors say she was wrongfully released from an Edmonton area jail last month with allegedly fake release papers. Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, 24, is charged with several offences, including possession of stolen property, impaired driving, flight from police and driving without insurance or registration. She was arrested in March by Red Deer RCMP. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service confirmed Wednesday that Hardy was released from custody after staff at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre, about 40 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, were shown documents saying her charges were stayed. They later learned those papers were fake. "As soon as ACPS became aware, we responded by seeking a warrant for her arrest. The ACPS has also referred the alleged use of fraudulent documents to the RCMP for investigation," said service spokesperson Michelle Davio in an email. "The ACPS takes this matter very seriously and steps have been taken by all parties to ensure this cannot happen in the future." In an interview, RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said Hardy was released in late April and police were notified days later. He said an Alberta-wide warrant has been issued for Hardy's arrest and efforts are being made to extend it Canada-wide. Asked why the public wasn't alerted to her release, he said she doesn't pose a risk to public safety. "She doesn't have a record that would demonstrate a risk to the public other than the fact that she has warrants for arrest," he said. 'Not going to catch me' A woman who identifies herself as Hardy has posted videos on the social media platform TikTok, where she taunts law enforcement and denies the papers being fake. "So, the government's f---d and I'm an escaped inmate right now," the woman says in one video. "They are not going to catch me because I'm one step ahead of them — too fast for those piggies to come after me." In another video, she said her boyfriend was given one year to live after being diagnosed with cancer and that her release was a "gift from God." "I was set free right when he needed me the most," she said. Hundreds of social media users left comments on the videos encouraging her to turn herself in. "I'm not running away from justice — I'm running toward life before it slips away," she said. Savinkoff said Hardy's arrest is inevitable and that she might not be doing herself any favours with her social media content. "I have no doubt that the posts that she's making would certainly be presented to the courts," he said.
