King jumped to roof, sources say
Corrections officials silent on how prisoner managed to flee
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, August 12, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Denecho King was in an outdoor fenced off area adjacent to the North Slave Correctional Centre when he managed to climb onto the roof and disappear Wednesday morning, sources have told Yellowknifer.
A person sits at a picnic table in a fenced off area adjacent to the North Slave Correctional Centre, the area where sources have said Denecho King climbed onto the roof to escape the jail Wednesday. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
The area, sometimes called a bullpen, is one of several outdoor areas inmates can use and has no fencing over top of it. That area has picnic tables, a barbecue and several hand railings. Those items appeared to be located near the edge of the roof.
The area King was in is supposed to have two correctional officers with inmates. However, only one was present when King began his escape, according to one source.
King was seen on the roof of the jail above the bullpen. From that location, it would be a short sprint across the roof to an area where the roof is about 10 feet from the ground near a series of what appear to be delivery doors by a parking lot. That area is not fenced off.
A source said inmates are now restricted from using that bullpen.
Department of Justice spokesperson Sue Glowach, whose department oversees corrections, would not confirm the account.
"We're not going to confirm or deny, we're going to wait for the results of the investigation," said Glowach, referring to an investigation ordered into the means of escape and ways to prevent it in the future.
The report is expected to be complete in about a week, she said. It's unclear if the report will be made public in full.
In a news release Thursday afternoon, Glowach stated the area King escaped from has been identified by officials. That area was not disclosed. She stated inmates are now restricted from using that area.
When asked by e-mail whether King has escaped by climbing and going across the roof of the jail, Glowach stated King was "in the facility" when the escape occurred, although it wasn't clear whether the bullpen would be considered "in" the facility.
The justice department has refused to provide an interview with a corrections official to answer multiple questions about how an escape, the first since the facility opened in 2004, could happen and what's being done to prevent another.
Justice Minister Louis Sebert was away from the territory Thursday.
Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart, who represents the area that includes the jail and some of the area being searched, said his primary concern Wednesday was the safety of his constituents. He's asked for the justice department to provide him with updates.
Once King is located, Testart said attention will turn to figuring out what went wrong.
"Afterward we'll have time to ask the tough questions that we need to ask about how the situation happened," he said.
Outside the jail, it's not clear where King went. RCMP Insp. Matt Peggs, the Yellowknife detachment commander, declined to say if any sightings have been confirmed, although police have received several tips from the public that are being investigated. Police search efforts Wednesday after the escape appeared concentrated around the Kam Lake Road, Woolgar Avenue and Taylor Road.
Amanda McLean who works in the area of the Borealis housing co-op off Finlayson Drive said Wednesday morning a child's bicycle was noticed missing from the area. The co-op is only several hundred feet from the jail.
She was told footage from the Borealis complex appeared to show a person stealing a bike, although Yellowknifer was unable to directly confirm that.
A video camera on one building points northward toward Williams Avenue, where a police canine unit was located at around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday.
Police have declined to confirm if they have secured the footage or whether it shows King.
"The investigation is still ongoing and I cannot confirm a bicycle was stolen," stated RCMP Sgt. Donald Duplissea stated Wednesday evening in an e-mail.
