Justice Crown wants man jailed
NNSL (OCT 25/96) - The federal Department of Justice wants an Enterprise man accused of molesting six young girls to be held in custody until his trial.

Crown lawyer Brad Allison filed papers with the Supreme Court Wednesday, asking for a review of a decision to free Jake Klassen on $40,000 bail.

In territorial court last week, Allison opposed Klassen's release on grounds he might flee the NWT and is a threat to public safety.

Klassen's lawyer, Robert Gorin, argued that "no person should be locked up pending their trial if there are other options."

Judge Thomas Davis agreed and set Klassen free with conditions he stay away from girls under the age of 14 and any place they might be.

He also ordered the 57-year-old man to stay away from Enterprise, a community of about 60 located on Hwy. 2, just north of the Alberta-NWT border, and move to Yellowknife.

Allison said a Supreme Court chambers hearing is scheduled to discuss the bail review hearing today, but he expects the case to be adjourned until next Friday because of "some developments that have arisen."

A preliminary inquiry into the six charges is scheduled to be held in Hay River, Nov. 20 and 21.

Hay River Mounties charged Klassen with five counts of sexual assault and another related crime on Oct. 15, after a week-long investigation.

The charges relate to incidents alleged to have taken place between April 1993 and September 1996.