Convicted armed robber at large is known to frequent Hamilton

A man convicted of numerous robberies and thefts has disappeared during his early release.

John Francis Curtin, 69, has been convicted of 19 offences related to several incidents including:

• two counts of armed robbery
• two counts of robbery
• possession weapon or imitation
• four counts of break and enter
• four counts of theft over $5,000
• two counts of theft under $5,000
• use of a forged document
• forgery
• possession of stolen property, and
• impaired driving

For these crimes, Curtin was sentenced to five years, one month and 20 days behind bars. However, in Canada, inmates are released after two-thirds of their sentence to serve the remainder reintegrating into society.

This statutory release is a transition process wherein a convict is released back into the community but closely monitored to serve the tail end of their sentence.

On Nov. 18, the OPP Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement or “R.O.P.E.” Squad announced that Curtin had broken his release condition and fled. As a result, the OPP has issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.

They describe Curtin as a five-foot-ten, 150-pound white man with greying brown hair. He has hazel eyes and usually sports a long grey beard. In Ontario, he’s known to stay in Brantford, Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Toronto. He also has connections in Edmonton, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Any one who sees Curtin or knows of his where about should call 911 or their local police service.