Mounties armed with carbine rifles were temporarily on guard outside the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) building in Inuvik last week after threats were allegedly directed at IRC employees, Inuvik Drum has learned.
An editor at the NNSL Media office in Yellowknife, which publishes the Drum, contacted RCMP on Monday, Jan. 14, after receiving a phone call from a man who allegedly directed threats toward the employees.
“Inuvik RCMP officers attended the IRC office as a precaution until the male could be located and arrested,” confirmed Cpl. Robert Frizzell.
Officers remained at the scene for two hours before the police apprehended the suspect around 6 p.m. Monday, an officer later told the editor who had called police.
“Both Yellowknife and Tuktoyaktuk (RCMP) assisted in the investigation and officers located the male at his residence in Tuktoyaktuk and arrested him without incident,” stated Frizzell in an email to the Drum.
The incident has prompted action from the IRC.
“We're stepping up security … being aware,” IRC spokesperson Peggy Jay told the Drum on Tuesday.
But with a busy schedule ahead of the 2019 IRC Chair Election, Jay said it's “business as usual,” with “added awareness.”
Ernest Raymond, 48, of Tuktoyaktuk, has been charged with uttering threats. He was transported to Yellowknife where he was released on bail Jan. 18. A publication ban prevents any evidence, or reasons for his release, from being published.
Raymond is due to appear in territorial court in Yellowknife on Feb. 12.