Prisoner escapes Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines penitentiary

A prisoner has escaped from the Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines penitentiary, about 50 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

Alex Michaud-Robitaille, 27, was deemed missing around 6 p.m. on Saturday evening.

In a news release from the Canadian Correctional Services office, officials say Michaud-Robitaille was sentenced to two years in jail on April 11, 2012, for possession of stolen goods, obstructing a peace officer, misdemeanor and driving under the influence.

"This individual is serving a two-year sentence – two years and two months and seven days sentence – for possession of property obtained by crime, obstruction of a public peace office, mischief and impaired driving. He's assessed as being a low risk to public safety," said Serge Abergel, spokesman for Correctional Service Canada.

Abergel would not comment on how Michaud-Robitaille managed to escape.

The escapee is five feet seven inches tall and weighs 147 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

The penitentiary is a minimum-security prison.

The Terrebonne police and the Sûreté du Québec are collaborating with correctional services to find the fugitive.