Michael Graeme Rennie arrested after escaping Lotus Glen

A month after after a red Massey Ferguson tractor was used by an escaping prisoner to abscond from a Far North jail, the farm vehicle has been recovered by police in an unusual location.

Michael Graeme Rennie, 43, absconded from Lotus Glen prison farm on June 1, 2025.

A month after after a red Massey Ferguson tractor was used by an escaping prisoner to abscond from a Far North jail, the farm vehicle has been recovered by police in a surprising location.

It comes as police investigate whether a love interest on the other side of the razor wire motivated the prisoner to escape Lotus Glen Correctional Centre.

On Wednesday the law finally caught up with 43-year-old Michael Graeme Rennie who escaped the Far North Queensland jail on June 1.

Police and Queensland Corrective Services immediately spearheaded a manhunt for the convicted drug offender but a search of the area surrounding the Arriga facility failed to find the inmate or the Massey Ferguson tractor estimated to be worth $100,000.

Rennie was serving a six-year sentence within the low-security prison farm section of the jail.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning Rennie was located at a makeshift bush camp in the vicinity of Buchanan Creek Rd at Cow Bay.

The tractor he is accused of taking from the jail was found by police 52km from the jail on Wetherby Rd in Mount Molloy.

Detective Inspector Jason Chetham said Rennie was taken into custody without incident but declined to say if police had been tipped off by locals.

“He was in the company of a 48-year-old woman from Rocky Point and we’re talking with her as we speak,” he said.

The red Massey Ferguson tractor has not been found by police. Picture: Queensland Police

“We know that they knew each other, they’re associates from his life on the outside, so she may well be part of this investigation going forward.

“We treat an escapee as a high priority, and both local resources here and the Corrective Services Investigation Unit from Brisbane have worked pretty hard on it around the clock.”

The escapee is originally from the Mossman region, had an intimate knowledge of the area and was skilled in bush survival techniques, police said.

Detective Inspector Chetham said investigators would look into the woman’s potential involvement in the escape and why Rennie chose to abscond when his lawful release was imminent.

“It’s difficult to fathom, but that’s going to be something we’ll try and get to the bottom of,” he said.

The Cairns Criminal Investigation Branch is heading up the investigation that’s expected to be complete within 24 hours.

A Daintree local, who lives not far from the bush camp, said he noticed a big tarpaulin set up on a heavily forested vacant block on Bloodwood Rd.

He said smaller tents had been set up under the tarp and a large white four-wheel drive was parked nearby.

“People have come here to avoid authorities and we don’t see the police over here very often unless there is an accident or a big drug bust,” he said.

“We have not seen anyone in that driveway for ages and maybe two or three weeks ago we noticed it.”

The Lotus Glen Correctional Facility is located near Mareeba.

Rennie has been charged with one count of escaping lawful custody, one count of unauthorised use of motor vehicle, which relates to the stolen tractor, and one count of possessing dangerous drugs.

In 2020, Rennie was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, evading police, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, unlicensed driving, entering a premises, receiving tainted property, using stolen number plates, possessing tainted property and possession of drug utensils.

He was on a return to prison warrant when he drove a stolen Toyota HiLux at high speed, forcing a police car off the road and into a cane paddock near the Mossman boat ramp.

Following a spate of escapes from low security Queensland facilities this year Premier David Crisafulli said the state government will undertake a review of prison security.

“Whilst it might be from lower risk areas it’s still in my mind not what I would define as a fit and proper way of detaining people,” he said last month.

“Yes, security does have to be reviewed and we have to make sure that we ask the questions to ensure that it’s improved.”

Following his arrest, Rennie was remanded in custody and was due to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Wednesday, July 2.

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Originally published as Michael Graeme Rennie arrested after escaping Lotus Glen