Escaped Hamilton forensic psychiatric patient arrested in Toronto

A 29-year-old forensic psychiatric patient, who escaped from St. Joseph's Healthcare's West 5th Campus of earlier this month, has been arrested.

Raymond Mitchell was arrested by Toronto police on Tuesday, June 23. He is charged with being unlawfully at large, said Hamilton police.

Mitchell escaped on the afternoon of June 1 as staff from the hospital's forensic unit were escorting him to a Mountain medical facility for treatment of an urgent issue.

Police issued a warning to the public several hours later because he is potentially dangerous.

Mitchell's Ontario Review Board (ORB) records show a long history of violence, psychiatric illness and substance abuse.

He was found not criminally responsible (NCR) of crimes because of a mental disorder.

His offences include damaging property at his girlfriend's apartment and stabbing her roommate. In another incident he bloodied the face of a security guard at a mall in Peterborough.

In 2013 he was detained at a Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health in Whitby. The next year he escaped and another time attacked a nurse.

He spent some time living in the community, but relapsed into drug use.

He was later kept Ontario's maximum security forensic hospital - Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in Penetanguishene - before being transferred to St. Joe's in October.

Mitchell remains in custody in Hamilton.

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com