Roger Kyikavichik, chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, has been charged with sexual assault.
Yukon RCMP arrested Kyikavichik on Dec. 23, the police said in a press release last week. He was released on strict conditions.
The charge was officially sworn in Yukon Territorial Court on Dec. 30.
He’s scheduled to appear in court in Old Crow, Feb. 2, 2016.
Since the matter is before the court, police are not saying much about the allegation. According to the press release, a complaint was received in August 2015. The crime allegedly happened in the fall of 2014.
Kyikavichik was most recently elected chief in November 2014. He was previously chief from 1988 to 1992 and was a councillor for a handful of years in between.
According to the First Nation’s constitution, there is the option of removing a chief from office if he or she is convicted of a serious crime.
That decision is made within 45 days of a conviction by a review council made up of representatives from the council, the elders’ council, the youth council and the community.
Contact Ashley Joannou at
ashleyj@yukon-news.com