Killer and robber who escaped from Victoria-area prison now back in custody

METCHOSIN, B.C. – RCMP say two potentially dangerous inmates who escaped from a minimum-security prison on Vancouver Island have been recaptured.

A release from West Shore Mounties says Zachary Armitage, who is 30, and his 42-year-old fellow escapee, James Busch, were arrested around 8 p.m. Tuesday after being spotted in Esquimalt.

The men were reported missing from the William Head Institution in Metchosin, west of Victoria, late Sunday night.

Police say Armitage and Busch were taken into custody soon after they were spotted by an off-duty RCMP officer.

Busch is serving an indeterminate sentence for second-degree murder and assault while Armitage is behind bars for robbery, aggravated assault and other offences.

The William Head institution overlooks the Salish Sea and several inmates have escaped by swimming around a razor wire-topped fence that extends into the water.

The mayor of Metchosin has called for more security if dangerous convicts continue to be held there.