Police not told for several hours missing patient was high-risk
Posted May 9, 2014 07:02:06 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A mental health patient escaped the Queen Elizabeth II Abbie J. Lane site on Wednesday and was found later that evening, but, police say Capital Health could have provided important information about the man much sooner than they did.
Though police were contacted minutes after the man had left the building, Capital Health waited eight hours until they deemed the man high-risk.
Capital Health admits they could have told police sooner about the man’s status.
Forty-five-year-old William Cotton is an involuntary patient at Abbie J. Lane, meaning he is not allowed temporary day passes. It is still unclear how the man escaped without permission.
Just a few weeks ago, conversations swirled about whether Nova Scotia will be launching a pilot project that monitors mental health patients on day passes through GPS tracking. Health Minister Leo Glavine says he expects a decision on the project to be made in the coming weeks.
In April 2012 Andre Denny, a mental health patient on a pass from the East Coast Forensic Hospital, was charged with the murder of Halifax gay rights activist Raymond Taavel.
