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SOMBA K’E/YELLOWKNIFE
A 10-person jury Friday found Edward Sangris, Dettah chief with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, not guilty of allegations of sexual assault.

When asked how he felt about the verdict, Sangris simply replied "I'm tired, and I want to go home," as he and his wife, Beatrice, walked out of the courthouse.

Edward Sangris walks out of the courtroom on Friday afternoon in Yellowknife after being found not guilty of sexual assault charges. - Daniel Campbell/NNSL

There was controversy the morning of June 28 when lawyers were scheduled to deliver their final statements. Justice Karan Shaner was handed a note from the jury which stated some jurors had felt intimidated by Jonas Sangris, defence witness and brother of the accused.

"If looks could kill, I was dead," said one juror, when questioned about the incident. "I'm glad I'll be leaving Yellowknife in the fall."

Jurors were brought into the courtroom one-by-one and questioned about the incident, which occurred while Jonas was walking past the jury box to take the stand on June 27. Some jurors said Jonas glared at them and made threatening eye contact.

Shaner discharged three of the jurors after she determined their impartiality was affected by the contact with Jonas.

Defence lawyer Eamon O'Keefe applied for a mistrial on the grounds the jury would have discussed the incident with each other, which could affect their judgment.

Shaner denied the request, saying the test for a mistrial is a stringent one and because they had a spare 13th juror, they could proceed with the trial with just 10 jurors after losing three.

Chief Sangris was on trial for the alleged sexual assault of a former band office employee when he was a band councillor, from 1986 to 1990, and 1994 to 1996.

The complainant alleged Sangris touched her in a sexual way on numerous occasions, early in the morning before the band office opened and anyone arrived for work. Defence witness Jack Poitras, who was the band manager from 1989 to 1992, testified June 26 he or another staffer were usually the first ones in the office and Sangris only made infrequent appearances at the band office.

Richard Edjericon, who was also a band councillor at the time of the alleged assaults, testified there was a special council meeting called in 1996, during which he asked Sangris to step down because of the allegations.

Ernest Betsina, a band councillor from 1994 to 1999 and current Ndilo chief, and Lena Cleary, former housing manager for the Yellowknives Dene and a former band councillor, both testified they had no memory of a meeting involving sexual assault allegations against Sangris.

Sangris said he was asked to step down in 1996 because he missed too many council meetings, due to his employment at Polaris Mine in Nunavut.

Sangris said he and the complainant did not have a close relationship. During her employment at the band office Sangris said he reprimanded her for being rude to residents and other band employees.

In 2009, while Sangris was Dettah chief, the complainant came to band meetings to protest the construction of two houses on either side of her home.

In his closing arguments, O'Keefe reasoned why the complainant would make potentially false allegations against the Dettah chief. On June 13, 2011, Sangris won re-election and the next day, the complainant went to the RCMP to make the allegations against the chief.

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