Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Aklavik (Oct 20/00) - A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail following two break-and-enters and a fire here last week.

Charles Frederick Gordon pleaded guilty Monday in Inuvik court to charges of break, enter and committing mischief; being unlawfully in a dwelling house; and breaching probation.

Gordon broke into the Aklavik Friendship Centre early Friday. He ransacked offices, and turned on four stove elements that started a fire.

A person walking near the centre at 7 am, saw the fire, and called the fire department.

Cpl. Dave Doerksen of the Aklavik RCMP said he was driving past the community alarm when it went off.

"It scared the living daylights out of me," he confessed.

"I was the first person there and I actually put the fire out," the Mountie said.

"There was some smoke damage in the building, and there was some soot or charring I guess you might be able to say, to the cupboards above it. They were just blackened," he said.

"The majority of the damage was done to the stove itself."

Gordon left the Friendship Centre before authorities discovered the fire, and he broke into a residence.

"He was rummaging through the house, looking for stuff," Doerksen said. "The owner was awakened. He came out and confronted him."

Doerksen said there have been several break-ins in Aklavik over the past two months.

This was the third time for the Friendship Centre. Northern store warehouses and Aklavik General Store warehouses have been broken into twice.

Also hit were the Renewable Resources shop, Northwest Territories Power Corp. office, and the nursing station.