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On the run
Inmate escapes from work crew

Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Jun 26/00) - After escaping from a correctional centre work crew Thursday afternoon, 26-year-old Alan Natanine sat in court late Friday afternoon wearing a set of leg irons.

Charged with being unlawfully at large, Natanine was serving a sentence at Baffin Correctional Centre for assault causing bodily harm. At the time of his escape, he had roughly three months before his release.

Ron McCormick, Nunavut's director of corrections and community justice, said the work crew was cleaning outside of the Brown Building in Iqaluit when the former resident of Clyde River bolted.

"I have launched an investigation into the incident," said McCormick. "We have suspended the work of the town crew until that is completed."

Hired by various community groups and agencies to do odd jobs around Iqaluit, inmates on the work crew are low security and have proven themselves trustworthy workers, said McCormick.

"They were doing some work around the eighth storey. That's part of what they do everyday. At that time, the individual decided he needed to be some other place," said McCormick.

Natanine took off at approximately 3 p.m. on June 22, sparking a community-wide search that involved several RCMP officers. Almost immediately, the police posted notices around town asking residents not to approach Natanine if they saw him, but to call police immediately.

"Generally when someone escapes, there's got to be a reason for it," said Sgt. Mike O'Malley. "You don't know what level of desperation they're at. It was just a precaution (asking people not to approach him)," he said.

RCMP received several tips during the 20-hour period Natanine was at large and eventually arrested him without incident at a private residence at approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday morning.

Appearing in court with his head shaven and a crucifix tattooed between his eyes, Natanine sat and listened as Justice of the Peace Bill Riddell read the charge on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. The matter was put over to July 5 at 9:30 a.m.

Natanine will remain in custody until then.