Denecho King arrested in Yellowknife, 3 days after jailbreak

Yellowknife RCMP were calm and procedural as they surrounded a residence in Sissons Court off Taylor Road Saturday morning, delivering instructions to Denecho King through a megaphone. 

"Denecho King, you are under arrest for being unlawfully at large," an officer said. "Come out the front door of the residence. Leave the door open. You will not be harmed."

King, 23, was calm and shirtless when he emerged and was escorted by two officers into a waiting police truck. 

King escaped from the North Slave Correctional Centre Wednesday morning prompting police to warn the public that he was dangerous and they should not approach. 

Yellowknife RCMP had help finding King from multiple exterior units including the RCMP from Behchoko, the Federal Investigations Unit, the Divisional Criminal Analysis Section, the Hay River Police Dog Services, the Major Crimes Unit as well as contract policing.

The situation was unnerving to many in the city of 20,000. 

Police set up highway checkstops and urged Yellowknifers to report any sightings directly to the detachment. 

Jeneane Olifie said Thursday she wasn't letting her children outside alone. "We're just taking precaution with the kids and keeping safe that way."

Carmen Campbell, who was in Yellowknife on business Thursday, said she was limiting where she went alone in the city.

Others felt the same way. 

King is charged with second-degree murder in the death of John Wifladt and with the attempted murder of Colin Digness in December 2014.

The two men were found seriously injured in an apartment on the third floor of Sunridge Place on Yellowknife's 51 Avenue. Wifladt died later in hospital. Digness was medevaced to Edmonton for treatment.

King was charged five months later.

• FROM MAY 2015 | Denecho King charged with murder, attempted murder in Sunridge attacks

King now faces additional charges of being unlawfully at large. It is unclear if other people will be charged in relation to his escape from jail. 

As of Saturday afternoon, King was in RCMP custody in downtown Yellowknife, set to be transferred back to the North Slave Correctional Centre. 

It's unclear if King will be under special remand due to his escape.

First to escape from new jail

King's was the first escape from the North Slave Correctional Centre since it was built in 2004, according to the Department of Justice. 

The department said this week they know what area King escaped from, and have restricted other inmates from the area, though they have not released any details on where exactly it is. 

The department plans to do a "full critical incident review... to determine the circumstances and improvements required" to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.