Man killed after exiting vehicle on Highway 3
A 35-year-old man is dead after being struck by a pickup truck near mile marker 311 on Highway 3 in the early hours of March 9.
After exiting his parked northwest-bound vehicle alongside the highway, the man was hit by an oncoming truck travelling towards Yellowknife, RCMP stated a news release.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Yellowknife RCMP and the Yellowknife Emergency Medical Services attended at 5:40 a.m. The highway was closed and motorists were asked to avoid the area until the its re-opening shortly after 9 a.m.
No charges have been laid.
RCMP continue to investigate the fatal collision and are assisting the NWT Coroner Services.
Man gets three months for assault on common-law partner
A Yellowknife man will spend three months behind bars for an October assault on his common-law partner.
The man, who isn't being named to protect the identity of the victim, was sentenced by chief judge Christine Gagnon in NWT territorial court Friday after previously pleading guilty to one count of assault.
On Oct. 31, 2017 the man and his common-law partner were walking in downtown Yellowknife when the two began arguing. The man, upset that his pregnant partner had been drinking, grabbed her and insisted she come with him.
He proceeded to drag her along Franklin Avenue before pulling her behind a roadside bin. The assault ended after a bystander crossed the road and intervened.
The court heard the man threw his partner to the ground three times.
While Crown prosecutor Duane Praught called the assault “relatively minor,” he asked Gagnon to consider the defendant's lengthy record of convictions for violent offences – many of which were domestic in nature – in his request for a four to five month sentence.
The man has 15 prior convictions for violence, eight of which have been entered since 2010.
The man's lawyer, Charles Davison, said his client, who has long battled alcohol addiction, doesn't remember the assault.
“I’m suffering from it. I want to change my life and move on,” the man said in court.
Following his release, the man will be on probation for two years.
One-year ban for erratic drunk driver
An 18-year-old Yellowknife man who drove drunk on a busy night downtown will be walking for a while.
The offender was handed a 12 month driving ban by chief judge Christine Gagnon on Friday in territorial court after he previously plead guilty to one count of impaired driving.
On Jan. 13, just after midnight, the man was driving erratically down Highway 3 on the way to Yellowknife. Once downtown, he was seen swerving from one side of the road to another before being stopped by RCMP.
The driver failed a roadside test before being taken to RCMP headquarters, where he blew over the legal limit.
The readings were low and the man has no prior criminal convictions, but Crown prosecutor Duane Praught said by driving erratically on a busy Saturday night in downtown Yellowknife, he endangered the safety of himself and others.
The man's lawyer stressed the incident was “out of character” for him.
“If you plan to drink, don't plan on driving,” Gagnon said.
Along with a year-long driving ban, the offender must pay a $1,000 fine and a $300 victim surcharge.
Man goes public with alleged mistreatment at North Slave Correctional Complex
An openly gay Yellowknife man is speaking out about the alleged mistreatment and discrimination he faced as an inmate at North Slave Correctional Complex.
In an interview with media last week, 25-year-old Kelly Canadian said he experienced harassment from NSCC guards after being sentenced to nine months in jail for theft and assault in September 2016.
Canadian told CBC that staff repeatedly hurled homophobic slurs at him. While incarcerated, he filed a complaint with the NWT Human Rights Commission.
In November, Canadian received $5,000 after his case was settled out of court, the CBC report stated. By going public, Canadian reportedly breached a confidentiality clause within the settlement, which could result in him having to return the money he was awarded.
But Canadian, who said he grapples with mental health issues following his incarceration, told CBC exposing the discrimination he faced while in jail was worth the potential penalty.