Iqaluit (Oct 25/04) - Six charges have been laid against former Nunavut politician and businessman Jerry Ell after a prolonged armed stand-off in the early morning hours of Oct. 19.

After responding to a 4 a.m. call regarding a possible assault in Iqaluit's White Row district, police say they found Ell alone in a house with either a rifle or a shotgun.

The area surrounding the house was cordoned off and a number of surrounding units were evacuated, police say.

Police entered the house and removed Ell after a six-hour negotiation session.

"At a certain point we saw an opportunity to enter the residence and end the incident without serious harm to anybody and we took that opportunity," said RCMP Const. Chris Coles.

Ell is charged with resisting arrest, as well as one count of disarming a police officer and unsafe storage of a firearm.

Two charges of assault and one charge of sexual assault have also been laid.

Police say Ell was alone in the house, but do not know whether he lives there or not.

No shots were fired during the incident.

"Our number-one priority is the safety of everybody. Our job is to make sure that everybody gets out alive and unharmed," Coles said.

Ell has been released from police custody until a Dec. 5 court date in Iqaluit.

A search of court documents in Iqaluit revealed no prior criminal charges against Ell, who could not be reached for comment.

Previously a resident of Rankin Inlet, Ell was appointed executive director of the Nunavut Economic Forum this past summer.

Ell is currently on leave from that position, said NEF vice-president George Bohlender.

A decision on Ell's fate as NEF director is expected to be made sometime this week, Bohlender said.

In 1999, he ran for MLA in Rankin-Inlet South/Whale Cove and lost to Manitok Thompson.

Sued Manitok Thompson

Ell sued Thompson in 2001, alleging she cost him a $100,000 development contract for work on the Rankin Inlet Health Centre.

The suit was eventually dropped.

In 2002, he resigned as president of the Arctic Winter Games less than two weeks prior to the event because of personal reasons.

Running again in the 2003 territorial election, he lost by 33 votes to Levinia Brown.

Other career highlights

Ell also experienced near misses in elections for top jobs at Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. in 2001 and the Baffin Regional Inuit Association in 1996.

Other positions held by Ell include president of the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, president of the Baffin Regional and Nunavut Chambers of Commerce, and director of the NWT Business Development Corporation.