Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Monday, August 13, 2007

CHESTERFIELD INLET - Charges are expected to be laid this week in the single-vehicle death of a female athlete in Chesterfield Inlet earlier this month.

Kelly Apsaktaun, 17, of Kugaaruk was killed when the driver of the pickup truck she was a passenger in lost control during the early morning hours of Aug. 6.

Apsaktaun was in Chester to compete in the junior-female category of the Inuit Games Territorial Championship.

Four other occupants of the vehicle were treated at the Chester health centre, with two being medevaced to Churchill, Man., for further medical treatment.

Police have determined seatbelts were not in use at the time of the accident, and drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be a factor in the fatal crash.

Cpl. Kurt Kamotzki of the Chester detachment of the RCMP said the matter is still under investigation.

He said he can't release any specifics about the charges, other than they will be related to a motor-vehicle accident.

"The person we are considering charges against is a (youth), so, of course, the information about this person will be protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act," said Kamotzki.

"The fact the vehicle operator is a (youth) does not mean they are not old enough to possess a valid driver's license.

"I cannot confirm at this time if the operator of the vehicle was a hamlet employee.

"It's a sensitive situation that's still being investigated, so I'm very limited in what I can say at this time."

Kamotzki said the community has been hit hard by the tragedy, and people are just starting to come to terms with the accident.

He said Chester is not a community where something like this usually happens.

"Being such a small community, something like this has a real ripple effect and people are still feeling the hurt of this accident," he said.

"We're (the Chester detachment) dealing with Criminal Operations in Iqaluit, which is evaluating the information we've collected through our investigation.

"They will confirm with us what is felt to be the appropriate charge based on that information."

Kamotzki said while it's natural for the Apsaktuan family to want to know more about Kelly's death, it's going to take time before they get any answers.

"Because we're dealing with the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the only way the family will know what's happening is after the first appearance of the person in court after they're charged in the matter.

"It's a difficult and delicate situation for everyone involved."