Police investigate four Folk sex assaults
No charges laid, though RCMP state work continues
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Updated: Friday, July 22, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
RCMP have confirmed four separate reports of sexual assault at the Folk on the Rocks festival this past weekend.
Some of the liquor and marijuana seized by RCMP during a July 16 checkstop on Highway 3 near the airport and near Boundary Creek over the weekend during Folk on the Rocks. - photo courtesy of RCMP |
In a news release distributed Thursday, police stated officers immediately attended the site, located suspects and opened investigations. No arrests were made.
RCMP Sgt. Donnie Duplissea confirmed there were four different suspects and four victims.
"These were isolated incidents and the public was not at increased risk," police stated in the news release. Asked to clarify, Duplissea responded by e-mail stating "as they were isolated incidents and there were no reports of one individual committing multiple assaults, the overall public was not at risk."
No charges have been laid in court as of Thursday and the investigations are ongoing, police stated.
Ashley Makohoniuk, a Folk on the Rocks vice-president, stated in an e-mail earlier this week event organizers could only confirm one report of sexual assault. The statement added the incidents don't represent what Folk is about. The calls came as RCMP had a raised profile at Folk and in the Yellowknife area that included checkstops in multiple locations, boat patrols on Long Lake, foot patrols in the city core and bike patrols.
Officers who took part in the various patrols reported people at the Folk site were generally well behaved.
"The volunteer extra patrols allow our members to be visible to the festival goers, which in itself usually curbs activity that may be of concern," stated Duplissea.
The higher presence included a checkstop July 14 near the entrance to Behchoko on Highway 3 on July 14 that checked about 70 vehicles.
Police stated they encountered one impaired driver and alcohol was seized and disposed of.
The following day, a checkstop near Boundary Creek and near the airport on Highway 3 saw 60 and 125 vehicles, respectively. The stops were repeated the next day, increasing to 100 and 200 vehicles checked. Offences police and the city's bylaw enforcement officers observed ranged from no valid drivers licence/registration/insurance, to speeding and seatbelt infractions. Open liquor containers were also found. There were several licence suspensions.
Police didn't say whether charges had been laid resulting from the checkstops. RCMP boat patrols on Long Lake, adjacent to the Folk site, on Friday and Saturday resulted in one impaired operation suspension and warnings for things like open liquor and not wearing life-jackets.
Police reported that the number of vessels on the lake was lower than previous years.
