Mark Baltzer in police custody after escape from hospital
CBC News | Posted: January 11, 2015 1:11 PM | Last Updated: January 11, 2015
Capital Health says a supervisor was watching Baltzer as he moved his car, but he drove off
A man who went missing from the East Coast Forensic Hospital last night is back in custody.
Mark Baltzer, 58, went missing around 8:20 p.m. on Saturday night. RCMP arrested him before 3:50 p.m. Sunday.
Capital Health spokesmen Everton McLean says a supervisor was watching Baltzer as he moved his car, but then he drove off.
Balzer has been able to leave hospital on his own in the past.
"In the past he had that privilege. Very recently he had changes in mood which had resulted in that privilege being rescinded and he didn't have access to his vehicle to visit the community at this time," said McLean.
McLean says the hospital is reviewing what happened.
Baltzer was arrested in June 2010 after he attracted attention aboard a Marine Atlantic ferry. RCMP said at the time a passenger had contacted them with a report that Baltzer was planning to kill police officers in Corner Brook. RCMP searched his car and found weapons, including a machete, a rifle and a crossbow.
Following a psychiatric assessment, Baltzer was found not criminally responsible for those charges after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.