An Alberta woman who the province said was mistakenly released from an Edmonton-area jail, with what police said was a fraudulent letter, appears to have turned up on social media, using a TikTok account to taunt police.
After Global News first reported this story on Wednesday, a TikTok account appeared under the handle, kensies.on.the.lamb.
Police believe the woman is 24-year-old Mackenzie Dawn Hardy, who said in a now-deleted comment that her lawyer has told her if she doesn’t commit any crimes while she’s out, she will be fine.
Another comment from the account said, “Already across Canada, that’s what happens when they give you a 3-week head start before notifying the public.”
The first post on the account — our Global News story about her release. It now has more than 80,000 views.
Hardy had been awaiting trial at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre for multiple charges including stealing cars and fleeing police.
But on April 25th, the jail got a letter saying her charges had been paused. Police say that letter was a fake, but it fooled officials and Hardy was let go.
“If there’s no checks or balances to confirm that these things are being legitimately done, someone else with a significantly worse record could find themselves with a stay letter and walk out of jail,” said criminologist Dan Jones.
RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, said he has never seen such a brazen and taunting escape. He adds the warrant for Hardy’s arrest is within Alberta but could be extended if she is found in another province.
“This type of behaviour isn’t an effective way to stay one foot in front of police,” said Cpl. Savinkoff. “Her arrest is an inevitability and when it happens, it will be interesting to see what she says when she is standing before the judge.”
The latest post shows the woman striking a pose outside an On the Run convenience store.
“She’s taunting the police using words like ‘little piggy,’ playing songs like F Tha Police by NWA while she’s taking pictures,” said Jones.
Jones added as the views on her TikTok videos grow, so too will the chances she’s found.