SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Denecho King escaped by scaling a hand railing and climbing onto the roof of the North Slave Correctional Centre, Justice Minister Louis Sebert confirmed Tuesday.

A person sits at a picnic table in the area of North Slave Correctional Centre where Yellowknifer sources say Denecho King climbed onto the jail roof and escaped. Justice Minister Louis Sebert confirmed the account to Yellowknifer in an interview yesterday. - NNSL file photo

Sources told Yellowknifer only hours after the escape that was how King fled but the department refused to confirm the account until yesterday.

"My understanding is ... that inside the jail there was a walkway that had a guardrail alongside of it and as I understand it he went up on the guard rail, hopped up on the roof and that was the way in which he escaped," Louis Sebert said in his first interview since the escape.

The location King escaped Aug. 10 is an outdoor area that's fenced off adjacent to the building with hand railings, picnic tables and a barbecue.

While the department stated in news releases it had determined where King escaped and that he had taken advantage of "a pre-existing gap in the physical security," the department hadn't confirmed the exact location.

That area has been restricted from use by inmates as a review of security at the jail is underway and fixes to prevent a similar attempt in the future are completed. It's not known how much those fixes may cost.

The new release stated if other problems are uncovered by the investigation, "immediate steps will be taken to address those issues."

The minister said a "comprehensive review" of security at the North Slave Correctional Centre is expected to be completed in September.

Aspects of that report are expected to be kept secret to protect security protocols and personnel information, Sebert said.

Despite the escape, quickly followed by two youth walking away from the connected youth facility, the minister expressed confidence in the jail system and its staff.

"I want to assure residents of Yellowknife this was an isolated incident," Sebert stated in the news release about King. "I continue to have full confidence in the corrections staff at our facilities."

The incoming warden of the jail isn't saying whether the ongoing review has determined if proper procedures were followed the morning Denecho King escaped.

Yellowknifer reported that when King escaped by climbing onto the roof, there was only one corrections officer in an outdoor area with inmates. There were supposed to be two, according to a source.

"We're still doing the review and I don't feel comfortable commenting on anything that's come out of that review so far because it hasn't been completed," said Chris Comeau in an interview Tuesday. "Once it has been completed, we'll take the appropriate steps."

Comeau, who is leading the merging of staff between the youth and adult jails and will become warden once it's done, declined to answer many questions about what happened the morning King escaped, citing security concerns and the ongoing review.

MLAs said they were pleased a broader review will be carried out.

"It's good to know that the department and the minister are conducting a full review of security at the facilities," Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly said Monday, adding he wants it to include how communication about the jail break was handled.

Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson chairs the legislative assembly's committee on social development, which oversees the Justice Department. Thompson said he expects the department and minister to appear before the committee to discuss the results of its investigation once it is complete.

It's not clear when that will occur or whether the committee appearance will be public.

"We would hope that it would be open to the public but again we will have to wait and see," Thompson said, adding he is commending the RCMP for the force's efforts to locate King.

King was being held in jail awaiting further court appearances on charges of second degree murder and attempted murder. He faces a charge of being unlawfully at large as a result of the escape. He next appears in court Nov. 21 for the charge and the start of his preliminary inquiry on the murder and attempted murder charges.

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