Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 22/05) - A well-known Yellowknife dog musher has been charged with attempted murder following a weekend stabbing that left a teenager fighting for his life in an Edmonton hospital.

Police arrested Jean Rene Samuel (Sam) Perrino after an altercation outside of his home in the Kam Lake industrial area, Sunday evening.

A 19-year-old man was stabbed in the torso and medevaced to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. While he was admitted to the intensive care unit, by Tuesday his condition was stable and he was able to communicate, said Sgt. Darcy Fleury.

According to police, a fight began after Perrino spotted a group of six males vandalizing an old vehicle near Deh Cho Boulevard.

Fleury said Perrino called police, then went outside to take down licence plate numbers. A confrontation ensued between Perrino and four young adults.

Although he declined to discuss the details of the fight, Fleury said Perrino was the only suspect.

RCMP cordoned off the driveway leading to the Perrino residence on Taltheilei Drive after the stabbing. Fleury said forensic experts and investigators from the major crimes section are working on the case.

A high, wooden fence blocks most of the property from view, though a network of dog kennels is visible from a rocky outcropping above the house.

Perrino is one of the premier dog-mushers in the territories.. He raced in the famed Iditarod in 2004, the Yukon Quest this year and has participated in other top-level sled-dog events around North America.

Police said Perrino was not injured during the confrontation. He is currently in police custody and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning.