Police have arrested a 29-year-old man who escaped custody yesterday evening.
Ricky Wilson Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
Ricky Wilson, 29, was apprehended without incident in Upper Hutt this afternoon.
Wilson escaped custody while being taken back to Rimutaka Prison from hospital last night.
Corrections will now carry out a full operational review.
Rimutaka Prison acting director Steve Morgan said the review would look into how Wilson escaped, and what could be done to make sure it did not happen again.
Wilson was handcuffed when he escaped, and was guarded by two custodial officers.
He has been charged with escaping custody.
The maximum sentence for the charge is five years in prison.
As police searched for Wilson, Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy asked residents to stay alert.
Guppy said he had received dozens of texts from residents who could hear a helicopter circling over the area for several hours last night.
Police said they were being helped in the search last night by the Westpac Helicopter.