RCMP murky on Cholo follow-up
Police refuse to confirm statements made to other media outlets
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, August 18, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The Northwest Territories RCMP is refusing to formally confirm whether officers followed up on a tip in their investigation into the homicide of Fort Simpson's Billy Cholo.
The refusal came despite an Aug. 10 CBC North news report which quotes RCMP Insp. Peter Pilgrim as saying police had followed up on the tip well before Sen. Nick Sibbeston raised concerns about a lack of follow-through at the Dene National Assembly in Fort Simpson last month.
Sibbeston raised his concerns for the second time in as many years during the assembly.
After, he told Deh Cho Drum he and a friend of Cholo's knew the name of a man who had threatened to kill Cholo shortly before his death. Cholo's body was discovered by RCMP in Fort Simpson in January 2014.
The investigating officers work out of Yellowknife as part of the RCMP's major crimes unit.
Senator says his friend still hasn't been contacted
But despite trips by the RCMP to Fort Simpson to gather more information, and a public plea for information, Sibbeston and his friend said they never heard back about their tip.
"I went to see (my friend) the night before I spoke at the assembly. So I knew, when I said the police never went to interview him, I knew factually that was the truth," Sibbeston said.
"I met with him the night before I made my statement. I said, 'Have the police come to see you?' 'Nope.' "
When initially asked to comment on Sibbeston's remarks, Staff Sgt. Bruce McGregor said in an e-mail that "G-Division Major Crimes are following up on the comments made by Sen. Sibbeston."
He added no further information would be released at the time since the investigation is active and ongoing.
Following the Aug. 10 news report from CBC News, RCMP declined to confirm Pilgrim's comment.
They also declined to answer questions on when Sibbeston's information was followed up on and why RCMP had not contacted Sibbeston or his friend.
An e-mail from RCMP media relations re-iterates the status of the investigation as "active and ongoing" as a reason for being unable to comment further.
