SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A once promising musician who stabbed a dog to death is back in custody more than three years after disappearing while wanted on charges of breaking into two convenience stores.

Lloyd Thrasher, 28, made a brief appearance in territorial court Jan. 14, wearing a blue T-shirt while seated in the prisoner's box. He spoke with his lawyer Leslie Moore over the glass partition before territorial court judge Bernadette Schmaltz entered the room.

Schmaltz ordered Thrasher to sit down as he was trying to carry on a conversation with a probation officer at the back of the room. Thrasher sat down promptly and leaned his head against the wall behind him.

His next court appearance is scheduled to take place tomorrow.

Thrasher was arrested in Yellowknife Oct. 19 on numerous charges, including breaking into Willy's and SunLines convenience stores in early 2012, being in possession of a tool for the purposes of committing a break-in, along with several breaches of bail conditions and failing to appear in court. He was due in court to answer to most of these charges on July 12, 2012 but never showed up. He had been free on bail at the time on the condition that he remain at his cousin's home while awaiting court appearances.

A warrant for his arrest was subsequently issued for his arrest. However, he remained active on social media for months after his disappearance - at one point appearing in a YouTube video showing him on stage on Canada Day 2012 playing guitar at a "Stop Harper" rally in Vancouver - he remained at large.

Staff Sgt. Brad Kaeding of Yellowknife RCMP told Yellowknifer in September 2012 that police were working under the assumption that Thrasher had left the city.

Although Thrasher faces seven charges for being unlawfully at large - all entered over a five-month period in 2012 after missing court dates - his lawyer told the court he is working with the Crown prosecutor's office to establish a release plan for him.

"That will be in place before the next court appearance," he said.

Thrasher said he was trying to contact his sister in order to make arrangements to let him stay at her place upon his release. He told the court he doesn't have any friends in the city so his sister is the only person who will be able to support him upon release.

"She has a telephone but I can't get a hold of her," said Thrasher.

Moore said he would see to it that Thrasher gets in touch with his sister.

Thrasher was sentenced to one year in jail in 2011 for killing the dog - a one-and-a-half year old Chinese pug named Garlic that was taken from a parked vehicle. He was also slapped with a one-year peace bond in March 2012 ordering him to stay away from a woman he was accused of menacing during a career counselling session where he brought up the killing of the dog.

He told the court at the time that he had asked the complainant, "Why do you hate me? Do you own a dog? Do you own a pug?

Is that why?"

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