Vancouver Sun, Page B05, 26-Jul-2005

Career criminal wanted nationwide found in portable toilet

By Jeff Lee

MISSION - Mission RCMP members were Johnny-on-the-spot over the weekend when they captured Darrell McCaig, a career criminal on the lam from his parole officer.

It was apparently a case of "come out with your pants up."

But either way, the RCMP didn't have to search too hard to find McCaig, 33, who barricaded himself in a portable toilet at Mission Centennial Park Sunday night after he was spotted being unlawfully at large.

McCaig, who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for breaching parole, initially refused to come out after he was tracked to the toilet by two officers. He told the officers he had a knife, according to Const. Tom Behm.

"He runs into a port-a-potty and says he has a knife, and don't come in here," Behm said.

"Well, where are you going to go in a port-a-potty? I would have kicked it over and left him laying there."

Instead, the officers sprayed pepper spray into the inside, and McCaig surrendered. He was armed with a screwdriver, Behm said.

McCaig had only just been given statutory release by Corrections Canada on July 13 after serving two-thirds of an accumulated 17-year, 10-month sentence for a long list of crimes.

Correctional Service Canada won't say at what institution McCaig had been residing before he took up hiding in the portable toilet.

But they do say that he had list of at least 21 serious offences dating between 1990 and 1997, including forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, use of a firearm in the commission of an offence, two counts of break-and-enter, theft, robbery and other serious crimes.

Dennis Finlay, a spokesman for the Correctional Service, said McCaig will be returned to jail until the National Parole Board decides when he should be released again. Since McCaig had already served two-thirds of his sentence, he's eligible for statutory release, as long as he doesn't face new charges.

Behm said he didn't know if McCaig faces more charges.