Yellowknife RCMP issue warning about sex offender

Yellowknife RCMP have issued a warning about a violent sex offender who has returned to the city, who they say "poses a risk of significant harm to the public."

Travis Casaway, 27, has convictions for sexual assault and sexual assault with a weapon.

Casaway was 15 when he grabbed two girls, aged 11 and 12, off the Frame Lake Trail and sexually assaulted them in separate incidents just nine days apart.

He was sentenced as an adult, to five years in prison. He was released in 2009 and then spent five years under court-ordered supervision in Edmonton.

In a separate release, the RCMP stated that the decision to release such information is based on a review of all reports associated with the individual. In this case, a committee was formed to review the reports and determine if there was a requirement for a public interest disclosure that outweighed the right to privacy of the individual.

RCMP say the committee made the decision to release the information so the public can take appropriate steps to ensure personal safety.

The RCMP disclosure follows a warning issued by the Yellowknife Catholic school board on Tuesday about an unnamed sexual offender.

Claudia Parker, superintendent for the board, says the board heard about the sexual offender's return from a parent whose child was assaulted by the offender.

Parker says in the classroom, teachers are going over safety with their students.

Casaway is described as an aboriginal male, 180cm tall, with brown eyes and black hair.