A woman is missing from the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre, a facility near Edmonton, after an alleged fake stay of proceedings letter was used to grant her release at the end of April.
Background
The Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre houses inmates serving sentences of up to two years and those in remand awaiting judgment. A whistleblower has come forward with information about a fraudulent "stay letter" allegedly submitted under the name of a fake Crown prosecutor and sent through a bogus "defence counsel."
Edmonton defence lawyer Tom Engel commented on the ease of forging such documents:
"It’s probably not that hard to forge one of those. All you have to do is get a genuine stay letter and then, I don’t know, you can manipulate things pretty easily and create something that looks genuine."
Details of the Case
Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, 24, was being held at the Fort Saskatchewan jail after being arrested twice in Red Deer within a week for similar alleged offences.
Arrests
-
First Arrest (March 4):
- Police responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle and found three vehicles travelling together.
- Officers tracked one vehicle using licence plate readers along Highway 2 towards Ponoka.
- The vehicle became stuck in snow on Dead Man’s Hill Road, leading to Hardy’s arrest.
-
Charges:
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Impaired operation of a motor vehicle
- Flight from a peace officer
- Driving while prohibited
- Fraudulently concealing identity to avoid lawful apprehension
- Possession of methamphetamine (controlled substance)
- Driving without valid insurance
-
Second Arrest (March 11):
- RCMP reported another car theft when officers spotted a red Honda Civic sedan, which had been reported stolen.
- Officers followed the vehicle onto the highway but lost sight of it, later stopping it near the Hwy #2 & Hwy #60 intersection.
- The driver was identified as Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, who had previous charges related to criminal activity, including illegal drug trafficking.
Court Appearance
Hardy appeared before a justice via video link during a prior court hearing, where she was ordered released pending her next appearance, scheduled for a later date. However, she appeared again last Thursday afternoon outside the courthouse, dressed in a bright yellow hoodie, sweatpants, and a black jacket, with sunglasses covering her face.
It seems there may have been a mistake, as authorities were not expecting to see her walk freely outside the courthouse unescorted, unlike previous times when she was accompanied by law enforcement personnel.
I’m Mark W. Lamplugh Jr., a visionary Chief Executive Officer, Board Member, and best-selling Author with over 25 years of experience driving significant revenue growth and optimizing ROI across the healthcare, wellness, and media industries. Throughout my career, I’ve consistently transformed underperforming operations into thriving ventures by building top-tier marketing organizations, implementing data-driven strategies, and leading transformational change. My empathetic, collaborative, and adaptable leadership style has allowed me to cultivate inclusive cultures of innovation, develop and retain top talent, and forge strong partnerships that fuel organizational success.
Adept in executive leadership, strategic business planning, and brand and marketing strategy, I have a proven track record of boosting annual revenues—achieving up to $1.3B in oncology over three years and generating $360M in mental health initiatives. My approach combines strategic vision with hands-on execution, as evidenced by my success in launching innovative facilities, expanding services for addiction and mental health care, and enhancing organizational brand visibility. As author of “The AI Marketing Playbook,” I contribute thought leadership on the integration of artificial intelligence in marketing, a role that showcases my commitment to staying at the forefront of industry innovation.
I also bring my insights and expertise to a broad audience as the host of cable tv & global streaming of “Street Level Marketing Show,” while my writing has been featured in major publications such as Entrepreneur, Business.com, The Startup, and Kivo Daily. Whether I’m implementing targeted digital marketing campaigns that engage over a million individuals monthly or overseeing multi-million dollar budgets to maximize return on investment, I approach every challenge with a combination of strategic planning, creative problem-solving, and unwavering dedication. Above all, I am passionate about expanding access to high-quality addiction and mental health care through innovative solutions that drive both patient outcomes and organizational growth.
Mark serves on the board of One World for Life, National Fire Heritage Center, and the Institute for Responder Wellness.
Mark (https://marklamplugh.com) is one of the top marketing executives in the United States and has revolutionized how companies reach potential clients thru influence, SEO, social, PR, and traditional marketing. His expertise in Marketing, Social Media, Digital Marketing, and Public Relations has generated millions of dollars in revenue for several national companies. Mark documents many of his techniques in his book “Beginners Guide to Social & Digital Media.” and “Marketing Playbook for Social Media,” which was named the top 100 social media marketing books of all time by Book Authority. He’s also a professional advocate for the behavioral and mental health of firefighters and other first responders. Marks articles have been published in Better Marketing, Startup Magazine, Social Media Today, Kivo Daily, Biz Catalyst 360, Fire Engineering, Firehouse Magazine, and several others.
One of his companies, niches, are marketing products and services to the public safety industry and their employees, specifically mental & behavioral health services. He can be reached for comment at ceo@influencemediasolutions.com
23,000 #1 Connections, 40,000,000 US B2B Contacts and 300,000,000 B2b/B2C email contacts as well as 1,000,000+ monthly social media reach. https://marklamplugh.com
