Former prison guard Edward Taylor pleads guilty to stealing taxi

A former correctional officer at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's has pleaded guilty to theft, for stealing a taxi while he was impaired.

Edward Taylor, 36, was supposed to stand trial Monday morning at provincial court in St. John's.

Taylor had previously pleaded not guilty.

However, his lawyer Jennifer Curran entered a guilty plea Monday for both theft and impaired driving Monday morning.

A charge of dangerous driving against Taylor has been tentatively withdrawn.

In April 2015, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary got a complaint that a cab had been stolen by a passenger in the Prince of Wales Street area.

It was not clear why the cab driver had gotten out of the vehicle.

Taylor drove around the area for a short time before ditching the car when police showed up at the scene.

He ran away, but RNC officers were able to catch him with the assistance of a police dog.

Taylor had previously been sentenced in 2012 for trying to smuggle drugs into HMP.